


Just Like You: Crystal Pink Universe

by Drippin_Joe



Series: Crystal Pink AU [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: 4th wall break or two somewhere, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Gen, Humor, Not Canon Compliant, Pink Diamond doesn't have as many powers as she does in the show, Pink is smaller than she is in canon, Questionable decisions by you know who, Rose Quartz is Not Pink Diamond, Self-Discovery, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Steven and Pink-centric... Mostly, Steven uses Rose's sword, Team as Family, criticism okay, eventual Pearl/Amethyst, gems actually using the powers given to them in the show, we're building up the ships come back after construction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:28:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 101,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23507620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drippin_Joe/pseuds/Drippin_Joe
Summary: In an alternate world, Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz fought against Homeworld and the Diamonds. Now, only one of them remains to take care of Steven Quartz Universe.Though, with Steven wanting to head into a life he wouldn't be able to come out of unharmed and Pink Diamond's mental health being put on the line over and over again, no one's going to come out unchanged by this twist of fate.
Relationships: Amethyst/Pearl (Steven Universe), Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Pink Diamond & Greg Universe, Pink Diamond & Steven Universe
Series: Crystal Pink AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2126298
Comments: 59
Kudos: 80





	1. The Troubling Hourglass

**Author's Note:**

> Hello AO3!
> 
> This is my first work on the site, and I hope you enjoy it. I came up with this idea after wondering about the war and thinking, "What if Pink and Rose were two different people? And both became Crystal Gems?" 
> 
> This is the product of that question.

# The Troubling Hourglass

_"Please... promise me you'll protect him from harm."_

_"Of course... I won't let anything happen to him."_

* * *

In a isolated beach house, conveniently on the beach, sat a young boy with chips in his hands. He munched on them like an animal as he stared at the far end of the house. This would be normal if it was the door, but the fact he was staring at a large, crystalline warp pad in a cave made it peculiar. 

"C'mon, when are they gonna be back?" He muttered to himself, crumbs falling from his mouth to the floor.

This was Steven Quartz Universe, Crystal Gem in training, and Cookie Cat specialist. Only twelve years old but master of the Lonely Blade... lore, not weapon, but still. 

The warp suddenly lit up in a bright light, revealing four gems. The first gem was shorter than the rest, with long hair flowing down her back, and a light purple shirt. The next was a tall, slender gem with cream hair, a long nose, and a see-through skirt with shorts underneath. 

After her was a tall squared-afro gem with shades, and a bodysuit that had half of a star on it. The last was the tallest, standing above the second gem. She had a curly pink afro, large light pink shoulder pads and a dark pink skirt cascading behind her, stars adorning the front of it. 

These four were the _Crystal Gems_ , consisting of Amethyst, Pearl, Garnet, and Pink Diamond. The last protectors of Earth, and Steven's weird aunts. 

"The gems are back!" He shouted as he put his fists in the air, chips falling from the bag in his hand. 

"Hey Ste-man, have you been waiting for us the entire time?" Amethyst was the first to speak, while putting her hands on her knees and leaning forward. 

Steven nodded excitedly, "Yeah! I wanna know what happened on your mission!" He fist bumped the air as the gems stepped off the warp and approached him. 

"The Sea Shrine was… _infested._ " Pearl said with a shiver. She hugged herself slightly in disgusting as Amethyst bumped past her. 

"Yeah, but we got this thing!" Amethyst held out a small hourglass in her hand. Steven's eyes were glued to the small item, and his mouth fell open. 

"Woah… Can I have it?" Steven asked as he unconsciously moved toward the hourglass. Before Amethyst could give it, or Steven could reach it, a pink gloved hand took it and held it up. 

"Hold on now, we can't go giving the Time Glass away." The tall pink gem, Pink Diamond, said as she gave a sympathetic smile. Steven groaned before jumping up on the couch. 

"Hey! When can I go on missions anyway? I'm super ready! I even made a song for us!" Steven quickly turned on his sandals and opened a white cabinet behind the couch. He grabbed a yellow ukulele and landed his butt on the couch. Pearl and Amethyst sat down next to him while Pink and Garnet stood at the side. 

"Just let me get started." He strummed the strings and quickly stopped. "No." He stuck out his tongue before strumming them again. Then, he began playing and picking up an upbeat tune. 

_"If you're evil and you're on the rise~_

_You can count on the rest of us taking you down~_

_Cause we're good and evil never beats us~_

_We'll win the fight and then go out for pizzas~_

_We are the Crystal Gems~_

_We'll always save the day~_

_And if you think we can't, we'll always find a way~_

_That's why the people of this world~_

_Believe in!~_

_Garnet~_

_Amethyst~_

_Pink Diamond~_

_Pearl~_

_And Steven!_ ~

The gems clapped enthusiastically as the boy threw his hands in the air, giggling. He looked at the gems questioningly, "What do you guys think?"

"It was lovely, Steven! Did Greg help you with that one?" Pink Diamond asked as she put her hands together softly. 

"No, I made it on my own!" Steven said with a light blush. He began putting the ukulele away as Pearl spoke up.

"Well, it certainly was nice, but I don't see how that's related to going on missions." She crossed her arms as Steven turned to her. 

"I'm gonna play that song when we're in battle! I can give you moral support." Steven said while sitting down with a confident smile. 

"I don't think that's gonna be much help. It would just distract us from the fight." Pearl argued while rolling her hand. Her words made Steven's face drop into a sullen look, and he glared down at the floor. 

"Yeah Steven, she's got a point. You'd probably just look like a clown." Amethyst said while holding back a laugh. Pearl snickered along for the first time in a while as Steven's eyebrows furrowed. 

An abrupt cough made the two gems take their attention to Garnet, "Don't make fun of Steven." 

"Yeah, and there isn't anything wrong with being a clown." Pink said while crossing her arms with a glower. Pearl just rolled her eyes in annoyance and Amethyst snorted disinterestedly. 

"Steven, I think it's a cute idea, but you still need to learn before you can begin going with us." Pink said in an attempt to comfort him. He sighed and looked around at them.

"I just want to help you guys, and be apart of the team. I know I don't have my powers, but I can do other things." Steven put his hands up slightly directed towards himself. The gems looked at him with sympathy before Amethyst got an idea. 

"Well, you could help us by going to the Big Donut." She offered, making Steven brighten up slightly. 

"Really?"

"Yeah, just get us a few donuts. Maybe not Pearl," Amethyst glanced at the pale gem, who tilted her head in agreement. "But just get some random ones."

Steven smiled and stood up, "Okay, I'll do it." 

"Wait, if you're going, you're gonna need some money." Pearl interrupted and brought up a hand to her gemstone. It glowed before a stack of cash landed in her palm. She pulled out a few dollar bills and handed it to him.

"Here you go." She said politely as Steven took it from her. He looked down at the five dollar bill and smiled at her. 

"Thanks, I'll see you guys later!" 

He left the house from the front door and looked out at the beach. The waves reflected a soft blue glow, challenging the sky above. While walking down the stairs from the porch, he was stopped by Pink's voice. 

"Wait! Hold on Steven." 

The boy stopped and looked up at her. "What is it?" He walked back up as she got down onto her knees. Stopping in front of her, he gave her a questioning look. 

"Here, you should have this." She said while opening his hand, and putting one of hers on top of it. He felt something hit his palm as she closed it back up. "Now, go get some donuts!" She smiled as he quickly nodded and hastily ran down the stairs. 

* * *

Steven walked down the beach while humming a song from his favorite ice cream ad. He stuffed the money Pearl gave him in his pocket and looked into his hand. 

"W-What?!" He gasped as he saw the hourglass from earlier floating near his palm. It glimmered a golden yellow as the sun hit it. Steven looked back in the direction of the temple and smiled widely. 

His body felt uplifted as he began running to the Big Donut. Once he made it to the small donut establishment, he opened the door up quickly. 

"Lars! Sadie! You won't believe what I got!" He yelled, capturing the attention of the only two workers there. Lars groaned annoyingly while Sadie actually showed a sign of interest. 

"What is it Steven?" The boy ran up to the counter and displayed the floating hourglass. Sadie and Lars' eyebrows raised in surprise as they watched it defy gravity. 

"What is that thing?" 

"It's a... Uh... I don't actually know." He admitted while grabbing it back into his hand. "Also, I want a few donuts." Grabbing out the money from his pocket, he placed it on the counter as Sadie asked what he wanted. 

"Just give me whatever. In fact, surprise me!" He pointed a finger daringly with a smile. Sadie began putting random donuts in a bag as Lars snickered.

"So, how are the Crystal Femmes? Aren't they a bunch of weird witches or something?" 

"No, they're magical protectors of Earth Lars. And I'm one of them!" Steven said as he glared at the rude worker. Sadie placed the bag of donuts on the counter as Lars continued.

"Whatever, aren't they all a bunch of hot girls? You're not exactly a hot girl, Steven." Lars laughed when Steven huffed and grabbed the donuts, stomping away. Sadie punched Lars' shoulder as Steven walked out. 

"Shut up Lars, 'not exactly a hot girl' Well, if I was, I wouldn't be talking to you!" Steven gasped. "Ahh! I should've said that! That's really good!" 

Steven noticed a bright glow from his hand, and quickly opened it. The hourglass was glowing brightly, making him flinch when he looked at it. The sand inside it burned light blue before he closed his eyes. 

He opened his eyes and saw that he was back at the counter, while Lars was insulting him. 

"You're not exactly a hot girl, Steven."

Steven stuttered, "W-well, if I was, I wouldn't be talking to you!" He laughed triumphantly while pointing at Lars. 

"Good one Steven!" Sadie said, going for a high five. Steven gladly accepted it, and slapped her hand. 

"You're a joke! You know that? You're a big joke!" Lars said frustratedly. Sadie hit his shoulder again as Steven took another bag of donuts and stomped out. 

When Steven made it outside, he looked down at the hourglass in his hand. "Did the... thingy let me make that comeback to Lars? Ugh, what's his problem? Calling me a joke... Must suck for you Lars, people actually like jokes!"

Steven gasped happily when the hourglass shined, and he found himself at the counter again. 

"You're a joke! You know that? You're a big joke!" 

"Must suck for you Lars, people actually like jokes!" Steven laughed excitedly as he took another bag of donuts and ran out from the place.

"Steven! You're on fire!" Sadie called to him as she laughed. 

* * *

"I've got a bad feeling about this." 

Garnet said as she crossed her arms and lifted her visor. Pink was next to her, looking worried. Amethyst and Pearl were sitting on the couch still, listening to the tall gem. 

"What do you mean, Garnet. What do you see with your fu-" 

"I'm back!" Steven cried happily as he opened the front door. The two gems turned their heads to him as he excitedly started explaining what happened.

"Guys! You won't believe what happened! When I was at the Big Donut, Lars was giving me trouble and he was like, 'You're a joke' and then the thingy," Steven pulled out the hourglass and held it up. 

"W-Why do you have that?" Pearl asked with a horrified expression. She turned her head to Amethyst, "Did you give it to him?" 

"No! She did it!" Amethyst pointed at Pink, making Pearl glare at the pink gem. 

"What? He was feeling down! I thought it would make him feel better." She fumbled with her fingers awkwardly while smiling. 

Pearl turned to Steven, "Steven, that device is very dangerous. It could attract... Gods only knows what!" Steven frowned before a loud shrieking roar stabbed their ears. 

"Sounds like it came from the Big Donut!" Garnet said, making the others panic and run outside. Steven followed them, dropping the three bags of donuts he acquired. Running down the beach, they saw a large creature at the front of the donut shop. Lars and Sadie were watching it from the inside, looking horrified. 

Its body was a skull, with two large green gems as eyes. A purple, green-tinted gemstone sat in the middle of its face. Light purple hair came from the sides of its skull, and had mallets on the ends. 

Dark, ugly thunderclouds rolled in as electricity surrounded the monster. The gems faced the creature as Steven grabbed at his face, dread rolling in his stomach. ' _I caused this! This is my fault!_ ' 

"That creature must've been drawn by the power of the Time Glass!" Pearl deduced, her gemstone glowing. She pulled out a long spear from her gemstone, and held it close. 

Amethyst pulled put a long, multi-tailed whip and Garnet summoned two large gauntlets on her hands. Pink summoned a longsword close to her size with a pink and white star insignia near the hilt from her gem and a hexagonal shield next to her forearm. 

Steven watched them and tried summoning anything. He lifted his shirt and looked down desperately at the pink Rose Quartz gem on his stomach. 

"Steven, why are you such a butt face." Garnet turned her head to him with a frown. He gained a hurt expression and gritted his teeth. 

"W-What?" 

The attack started abruptly when Pearl tried striking it with her spear. The Electric Skull, as we'll call it, grabbed her with a tendril of hair and sent electricity at her. She began screaming as Amethyst wrapped the creature with her whip, but was sent flying up into the big donut sign above them. 

Pink rushed up to help Pearl, and deflected a shot of electricity. Garnet ran past her and punched Electric Skull on the side. The monster let go of Pearl, causing the pale gem to fall. Pink caught her, but was smacked in the face by one of the hair mallets. She and Pearl were sent a few feet away, with Pearl groaning in pain. 

Steven watched in horror as they were beaten. "Amethyst! Pearl! Pink!" He cried while rushing in. He saw the big donut sign begin to fall, and he pushed Amethyst out of the way. He crawled over to the other downed gems and ducked down. 

"Steven, you gotta get out of here. This is dangerous!" Pink said painfully as she leaned up, pushing Pearl away slightly. 

"I-I can't just leave you guys! You're hurt! This is all my fault!" He said as tears welled up in his eyes. A hand landed on his shoulder and he was brought into a small hug. 

"No... It's mine. You didn't do anything wrong, but... maybe you can help us now." She pulled him back as he shook his head. 

"H-How? I can't... I'm just a... butt face." His eyes widened in realisation before he took out the hourglass. "A butt face. I-I need a comeback!"

Pink raised an eyebrow as the boy began thinking up different comebacks. "What?"

"That's how I used the thingy! It took me back when I made a comeback! Hurry, I need something!"

"What about, I know you are but what am I? No, that's bad." Pink slapped her head as Steven became more desperate. 

"Come on! What about... Butt closed? That doesn't make any sense!" Steven looked over and saw Garnet get shocked, electricity running around her. Steven let out a yelp and looked back down at the hourglass. 

"What... I... can't help it, what's your excuse?" Steven muttered, making the hourglass shine brightly. Pink's eyes widened as she smiled. 

"Steven! You di-"

She was cut off as Steven found himself looking up at Garnet. "Steven, why are you such a butt face?" 

"I can't help it, what's your excuse?" Steven said, his eyes watering. Garnet gasped and smiled, "You did it." 

"Get back!" He yelled before tackling Garnet. The Electric Skull slammed on the ground in front of them, sending Steven in the air. He caught the edge of the Big Donut's roof and climbed up. 

"Up here! Quick!" He yelled at them, making the four gems jump up to him. They hid behind the large donut sign, and looked to Steven. 

"Okay, we can't get near it. But we gotta take out its hair!" Steven explained while throwing his hands around, emphasizing his words. He looked back at the monster before glancing at the sign. 

"Wait, push against this!" The gems listened to him and pushed against the donut sign with their hands. The wood holding the sign up began breaking before snapping from force. The sign finally fell over and landed on the Electric Skull, causing it to shriek and freak out. 

Lightning shot out of its mouth and its hair spiralled around, before the skull exploded in a large green cloud. The gems hopped down from the roof, while Steven was carried under Garnet's arm. She put him down amd reached into the crashed sign. A red light came from the sign before she lifted up a red-tinted bubble, with a green gem inside. 

Steven climbed onto the sign and gave a victorious laugh, "Haha! I saved you guys! I finally did it! I wish I could've tell you that this 'clown' was gonna save your life!" 

After he said that, the hourglass shined brightly, making him freak out. "No! No! No!" He tried covering it up, but it was ultimately useless. After opening his eyes, he was in the house again. 

"You'd probably just look like a clown." 

"Noo!" Steven yelled as he threw down the hourglass, shattering it and making its sand turn a deep black against the floor. 

"What the?" Pearl muttered, looking down at the sand on the floor. The others ignored it and continued talking.

"It's okay, Steven. You'll be our clown." Amethyst said nonchalantly while leaning against her hand. 

"Yes, a very hilarious clown." Pearl said, chuckling lightly. She was stopped by Garnet coughing. 

"Hey, don't make fun of Steven." Garnet said while putting her hands on her hips, and smiling at Steven. 

"Yeah, and clowns can be cool, too." Pink said while crossing her arms. 

"Exactly! Cause one day, this clown is gonna save the world!" Steven said while pointing at his chest. He smiled brightly as the gems around him kept talking, and he looked out the window to the bright sky. 

_'Save the world.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The Big Donut customer service is really lacking nowadays."
> 
> That was the end! Hope you enjoyed it! I chose to go for the Pilot episode just because I like it so much. You don't have to see it in the pilot style, but if you do, good luck.
> 
> If you liked this chapter, you should read the other ones, or leave kudos! If you didn't, tell me why in the comments below, and I'll try and fix it!


	2. Laser Light Cannon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven tries to help the gems by finding his mom's ol' cannon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the rewritten second chapter! Now with 50% more originality. I'm having to go back and rewrite these chapters so much because they stick to canon like a bug!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

# Laser Light Cannon

  
  


Mr. Fryman sat at his stand in silence. His eyes scanned the beach in front before glancing down at his watch. The small clock clicked to '5:00' and continued clicking. 

He looked back up and saw three figures standing on the beach now. Sand kicked up and hid the three in grainy shadows. He tipped his hat slowly. "So… you finally came." 

The three figures looked at each other before the shortest walked forward. "You know what we came for, Fryman." The boy crossed his arms as his eyes watered. Sand attacked his eyes, but he faced Mr. Fryman anyway. 

"Hehe… guess I'll need you buddy, one more time." He turned to the frier and smiled low. The trio walked to the stand side by side. The tallest one, over three times as tall as the other two, placed a few dollar bills on the counter. 

Mr. Fryman stopped and turned, "What'll it be?" 

The tall one met his eyes with her own, black circles meeting black diamonds. "The _bits_ , please." He said nothing and turned to the frier, scooping up the leftovers of the last fries and putting them in a small bag. 

The bag fell on the counter as he took the dollars and nodded, "Come again." The boy took the bag and narrowed his eyes at him. 

"Oh, we will." The second shortest, strangely purple, said and cracked her knuckles, backing away slowly. The other two did the same, soon being swallowed by the sand and disappearing. He shook his head slowly as they appeared again, coughing up sand. 

"Those three are _weird_." 

  
  


"Eugh! What's up with the wind today?" Amethyst coughed up as she dusted her shirt off. 

"Aw… the bits got sand all over them!" Steven whined as he took one out, shaking sand off of it. 

"What, you don't like sandy bits? It's like salt but better." Pink said as she ate some, soon coughing it out a second later. " _Bad idea._ " 

"Ha, well, at least we can enjoy the nice rising red sun, and the other setting sun." Steven listed off with his fingers, making the other two next to him stop. 

"Two suns? Steven, I think you're-HOLY COW!" Amethyst shouted. 

"WHY ARE WE SHOUTING?!" The two next to her shouted in return. "Look!" She pointed at the sky and made them notice a large ruby orb next to the sun. It spun around and revealed itself to be an eye, with a huge orange pupil. The orb stared right at them, narrowing like a gear. 

"Jeez, what is that thing?" Steven asked in a panic. Usually, he would be excited but this thing was creeping him out! 

"It's a Red Eye! We have to get back to the others!" Pink said, not giving Amethyst or Steven time to think before she picked up both and ran. Steven shouted for his bag of ruined bits as the wind howled in his ears. 

It all came to a sudden stop in front of the beach house. Pearl and Garnet stood at the very end of the beach, standing behind a telescope on a long tripod. Pearl seemed to be grumbling something before water soaked her feet, making Garnet shake her head. 

Steven wobbled on his feet when he was placed down. He shook his head and ran up to Pearl. "Pearl! What is that thing?" 

"Augh! It's a Red Eye! It must've been sent here to-"

"Red Eye!? It's gonna infect us all!" Steven cried as he held his head. 

"Steven, that's Pink Eye." Garnet corrected, causing the boy to falter. "O-oh." 

"No matter what it is, we have to take it down!" Pearl told them angrily as she fumbled with the telescope. 

"But what can? Don't tell me we have to get Opal!" Amethyst said while holding her hands up in terror. Steven looked at her with curiosity. ' _Opal?_ '

"No, we'll have to get something… something strong enough to shoot it down _and_ reach it." Pink said as she hummed with sweat drifting off her cheek. 

"Maybe a… no, that won't work! We have to think of something! Garnet?" Pearl looked to the stoic gem in desperation. Garnet simply shrugged, "No idea." 

"Wait, I got it! A Laser Light Cannon, from the war!" Pink said as she looked excited at the idea. Pearl slowly nodded, "That… that could work. But where would we get one?" 

"Do you have one in your gem?" Amethyst asked as she pointed her finger at Pearl, her other arm crossed under her shoulder. 

"Yeah, you hold a lot in there, you gotta have one." Pink said as she walked up and looked at Pearl's gem with one eye. She tapped on it twice before Pearl blushed and moved away with an offended look. 

"If I had one you would know about it! Wouldn't I have already taken it out if I did?" 

"Well, what if it's in the house? I bet it's somewhere, I'll go look!" Steven turned to run, but was stopped by a pink hand. 

"Sorry Steven, but you won't find anything there. We'll have to look for one in an armory, or get a forgotten one from a battlefield." Pink said before Pearl spoke up. 

"But that'll take too long! It's already almost here. Look at it, it's blocking out the sun!" Pearl aimed her hand at it, making the Red Eye move to the side a bit, revealing the sun. She looked at it in confusion before Steven yelled, "I have an idea!" 

Amethyst and Pink huddled near as he put his hands on their shoulders, struggling a bit with the latter. "Alright, here's the plan. We sneak into a shop and take a cannon, then we load Amethyst in there and shoot it at the Pink Eye!" 

"Or we can throw her." Before they could think, Garnet picked up Amethyst and chucked her at the Red Eye. She screamed as she flew before landing against the Red Eye. It rang out with a _dumm_ as she flopped backwards into the ocean. 

Pink, Pearl, and Steven stood in silence as Garnet shrugged at them. "I tried." 

"Well Steven, we lost our ammo and I don't think we can get a cannon from the store. We just… gotta do something." Pink put her hands on her hips and bit her lip. 

"We need to do something fast. Our cannons have to be somewhere. The ones we saw last were Rose's, but they could be anywhere!" Pearl flailed her arms out before she heard a gasp. Her head turned to Steven as he clasped his hands together. 

"Mom? Wait, then I know where it could be!" Steven grabbed onto Pearl's arms excitedly. "It could be with dad!" 

Pearl deadpanned before taking her arms back. "Steven, I sincerely doubt it would be with Greg." She shook her head and watched Amethyst wash up on the shore, glaring at Garnet. 

Pink shook her head, "Greg's a nice man, but Pearl's right Steven. Greg doesn't like anything gem related. I doubt he would take any gem mementos with him." 

"But he told me mom left him some stuff! What if he got the cannon?" Steven shot back while pointing down the beach at the city. Pearl looked up at Pink. The tall gem sighed and nodded her head. 

"Well… it wouldn't hurt to try. But be quick, please." Pearl seemed to beg. Steven nodded with a salute, "I won't let you down!" 

He turned on his heel and ran down the beach, huffing after only a few seconds of running. They watched his departure before Amethyst cracked her neck. "Welp, I'm gonna go with him." 

"What? But what about-"

"It'll be fine Pearl. Trust me, he'll need me." Amethyst threw a peace sign behind her back at them before changing into a bird and flying off. 

Pearl huffed as Pink waved. "Good luck!" 

* * *

The van was the coziest place for any man to sleep. Greg held that belief for most of his young adult life. And he'd never drop it. 

Honestly, it had everything. A bed, a small freezer, a radio, a television. It was like a drivable house you could take anywhere the road led. It also came with someone banging on the door… 

Greg scrambled up as he scratched his balding head and looked towards the two vam doors. The banging continued again as he shook his head and quickly grabbed a waffling iron nearby. ' _This is it. I knew it would happen! Ol' Joe's come to get me for the debt!_ ' 

Greg stood up and pushed the door open, quickly jumping out. "Who's there!? I got a waffling iron and I'm not afraid to… oh." His guard dropped when he noticed Steven and Amethyst standing in front of him. Amethyst was smirking while Steven smiled like the sun. 

"Hey dad!" He ran up and hugged him, making Greg drop the waffling iron and hug him back. 

"Hey Schtu-ball! You scared me there for a second." He ruffled Steven's black, curly hair with a smile. "Why are you here so early? It's still morning." 

Steven pulled away and looked at him confused, "It's… the afternoon." 

"Jeez Greg, you're really falling behind." The dad took full notice of the purple gem and laughed awkwardly. "Hey Amethyst, why are you two here? Come to hang out or…"

"Dad! We gotta stop the Ruby Eye heading for Beach City! The gems think you got a cannon that can stop it!" Steven explained quickly while pointing up towards the top of the hill. Greg looked back and saw a huge orange and red eye overlooking the town. The lighthouse created a black slit on the pupil, completing the horrifying look of the eye. 

"What? Cannon? Ruby Eye? Steven, you know I don't like gem stuff." Greg rubbed his neck as Amethyst walked up and hopped onto the van's back bumper. 

"Oh c'mon Greg, you gotta have something. Steven said you did." Greg picked the waffling iron back up and placed it into the van, keeping his space away from Amethyst. 

"Well, that was a long time ago. If I have anything, it would be in my storage unit." 

"Huh! Magical storage unit!?" Steven gasped, looking at Greg in surprise. His eyes were as wide as stars while Greg shrugged. "I wouldn't call it 'magical' but who knows what we'll find." 

"Then c'mon! Let's go search this joint!" Amethyst said as she flipped backwards into the van, landing on her feet and putting her arms behind her head. 

Greg rubbed the side of his arm in contemplation, but after seeing Steven's begging eyes, he sighed and gave in. "Okay, let's go." 

"Yeah! Magical storage unit time!" Steven clambered into the van as Greg got into the driver's seat. Steven climbed into the passenger's seat and tapped his hands on the glovebox. Amethyst set herself down behind the two seats, holding on by the shoulders. 

"C'mon, let's go!" Steven said with excitement as Greg turned the keys and chuckled. "Calm down kiddo! Alright, buckle up." 

Steven did just that as the van began backing up out from the It's A Wash parking lot. As the van turned down the road, Steven hummed to himself while patting his knees in rhythm. 

"So, why do you need to get this… cannon again? Are you sure we can fit in the van, what if it's too heavy?" Greg asked as he glanced at Steven and Amethyst. 

"We got nothing better to do." Amethyst shrugged nonchalantly. Steven nodded and said, "No worries dad, if it's a light cannon, it's probably really, really light." 

Greg hummed before nodding, "Yeah, that makes sense. Just be careful, alright?" 

"Have some faith, Greg. Gotta have something useful somewhere." Amethyst commented as she formed into a bird again and landed on the dashboard. Greg yelped in surprise and nearly lost control of the van, but kept it steady on the road. 

He placed a hand on his heart, "Please, Don't scare me like that again!" 

Amethyst rolled her eyes and landed on Steven's head. "Sure man." She rested in his hair as Steven smiled. 

Steven looked up at her with awe in his eyes, "Hey, when are you guys gonna teach me to shapeshift? I wanna try it!" 

"When the time comes, young one." Amethyst put on a fake deep voice as she fluttered down and landed on the glovebox. "You must first learn discipline." 

The van slowed to a stop as Greg took the keys out and opened the door. "Alright, we're here." Steven hopped out and looked at the building in front of them. It was a simple storage unit that stretched on down the street. He ran up to the large door of what he assumed was his dad's one and knocked on it. 

"Alright, if I really do have it. It would be in here." Greg said as he walked up to the door and unlocked it, then lifted it up. Steven watched as a mountain of boxes appeared from below the door. Tons of random objects and items dotted the boxes and etc., making it look like a celebration of garbage was happening. 

Amethyst scratched the side of her head as she examined the boxes, "Wow Greg, and they thought I had a problem," She picked up a small flamingo from one of the boxes. "You really let yourse-Agh!" A wave of trash came over her and buried her from sight. 

Steven worked to unbury her as Greg looked at the storage unit in thought. "I haven't really gotten around to cleaning it since Rose… sorry, Amethyst." He looked down at the mound of junk, seeing Amethyst poke her head out. 

"We gotta do something about this dude." She stood up and cracked her back, failing to notice the small tin bowl on her head. Steven looked at the wall closer and saw a hole leading inside, being covered by the dark shadow of the junk. 

"Hey, we can get in through there." He pointed at the hole, getting the attention of the other two. Amethyst stopped next to him and hummed. "Maybe, but we'll need to be this small for the job." She shapeshifted into a smaller version of Steven, making the boy laugh. She turned back to normal and gave him a thumbs up. "Welp, I'm goin' in." 

He saw a flashlight on the ground and picked it up. "Here, you're gonna need to see." Amethyst took it and saluted with the flashlight resting on her shoulder. "Yes sir!" 

She turned and charged into the hole, screaming something Steven couldn't understand. He looked down the hole one more time before turning to his dad. "Do you think she'll find it?" 

Greg shrugged and looked up at the Red Eye. It looked much bigger than it did just a few minutes ago. "Jeesh, that thing is getting huge. Givin' me the willies." He watched as a bright light hit the pupil of it and left a small mark on the eye. 

Steven looked at it too and felt himself grow anxious. ' _I hope Amethyst hurries up._ ' He was answered by Amethyst yelling, "I think I found it!" 

Her voice was incredibly low, probably from the mound of boxes blocking her voice. "Here, I'm gonna try and pull it out!" Steven and Greg backed away from the hole when Amethyst appeared from it a couple of seconds later, her whip in hand. It had a small glow around it that stopped when she crawled out. 

"Alright, I got the thing wrapped up. We just gotta pull it out." Amethyst pulled against the whip with a strong tug. It didn't budge at all, and Steven moved in to help. He grabbed onto the whip and pulled it with her. "Dad! A lil' help?" 

Greg moved in and began pulling on it as well. All three participated in the intense tug of war before they finally made progress. The whip was beginning to rip near the base, but they also began moving backwards. The wall of junk began moving slightly, with some toys and a bowling ball falling off. 

It all gave in and was pushed towards them. They all fell backwards as the whip snapped, leaving all but the handle to disappear. The three stood up and went around the junk, seeing the Laser Light Cannon at the end. 

"You did have it! But… how are we gonna get to the beach?" Steven asked before Amethyst shifted into some sort of wrestler and grabbed the cannon. She slowly lifted it up, but struggled to hold it. She dropped it a second later and rubbed her back. 

"Sorry, this thing's too heavy!" 

"Can we use the van? What if we put it in there?" Steven asked Greg, who looked horrified at the idea. 

"Steven, I don't think that'll work! We'll have to find another way." 

"But dad! Beach City's gonna get hurt if we don't get this there! We have to!" Steven begged as he hit Greg's chest with his arms. Greg glanced down at Steven then back up at the cannon. Every instinct told him not to, it could break the van permanently! But looking down at Steven, he sighed. "Alright, let's get this thing in there!" 

* * *

At the beach, the gems were hopeless. They tried throwing their weapons at it, they tried Pearl's spear, and Garnet's rockets. They even threw a shield or two at it, but nothing left a dent in the giant Red Eye. 

They looked back in surprise when they heard, "Hey guys!" Seeing Steven wave out from the van. It looked too low to the ground, as if it was being crushed by something. 

Amethyst and Greg got out of the van and opened the back, looking desperate and worried. Soon, the gems caught sight of the Laser Light Cannon hanging out from the back. 

"They… they got it?!" Pearl said flabbergasted, bringing a hand near her mouth. 

"We have to hurry!" Garnet said as she ran past Pearl to them. Pink did the same and Pearl followed. 

"C'mon, we have to get it ready!" Steven said as he saw them approach. The gems helped pick up the cannon, setting it down in the sand and pointing right at the Red Eye. The sand around them began lifting up and flying off towards the Red Eye. The wind shifted with it, and even some tiles off of the beach house's roof were flying off. A pull tugged at the gem's forms, and they resisted against it. 

"Alright, we just need to say the activation code and it'll fire!" Pearl said before coughing into her hand. "I believe it was, thus kindly I scatter." 

She waited with a triumphant smile, but nothing happened. She repeated herself, growing more and more desperate. Eventually Pink interrupted her, "I think she changed it! Nothing's happening!" 

"Changed it to what?! Why?" Pearl yelled in confusion. "I don't know! Try something else!" Pink suggested as she pointed at the cannon with her hands. 

"Wait! Steven, you have Rose's gem, you have to activate it!" Amethyst told him before picking him up and pushing him against the cannon. "C'mon, do something!" 

She was stopped when she was picked up by Garnet. "That won't do anything. Steven, you say it." Garnet nodded her head at him, making him nod back. 

"Okay, what was it again? Uh… thus kindly I scatter?" He looked at the cannon with anticipation, but again nothing happened. 

"It's no use, we're too late!" Pearl said as she hugged her stomach and stared at the Red Eye. Steven whipped his head back and forth and punched at the cannon. 

"C'mon, do something! You can't be useless now! Not like every other time! You have to work!" He shouted at it, and Greg looked at him in worry. 

"It's okay, Steven! We can find something else! Something better! If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs!" 

Steven felt his eyes prick from the saying and smiled, "Yeah… if every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs." 

The cannon glowed a pale pink, causing Steven and the others gasp in surprise. It hummed while the end of the barrel began splitting off, forming into the shape of a rose. The cannon fell over onto the ground, making Steven jump off and process what just happened. 

The gems didn't wait however, and began picking up the cannon to aim it at the Red Eye. Steven hopped up and helped push the cannon into place. The humming increased in strength, to the point where he felt his hands vibrate, and the cannon glowed a bright pink. 

"Hold on!" Garnet yelled before a bright beam of pure light blasted out from the Laser Light Cannon. It twirled around and a figure of Rose formed to lead the light. The Red Eye was hit directly in the eye, red marks and cracks running along it and splitting into pieces. In one giant explosion, huge pieces of the Red Eye were sent flying across the sky. 

Bits of it landed in Beach City, one even crushing a car. Most landed in the ocean and beach below. The light from the explosion soon faded away with the smoke, returning back to the setting sun. 

"Wow… Rose." Greg wiped a forming tear away from his eye as he stared up at the sky. The gems let go of the cannon and let it drop into the sand. Steven fell back in exhaustion with a tired smile. 

"We did it." He said as he raised a fist up, gaining a smile from the gems. Then water rushed up and completely drenched the boy. He coughed and stood up quickly, trying to get a piece of seaweed out of his mouth. 

"Well Steven, you just saved _most_ of Beach City!" Amethyst said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Yeah, for a second I thought it was too late. Good job, Steven!" Pink said as she ran a hand through his slick hair. 

"Yes, but… what activated it? What did you say?" Pearl asked curiously, crossing her arms. 

"I just said that thing dad always says." Steven shrugged, making Pearl raise an invisible eyebrow. "The thing about pork rinds?" 

"Hotdogs." Garnet corrected her while placing a hand on her shoulder. Pearl looked at the cannon with a confused look before the van began floating away from them. 

"No! My baby!" Greg called out as he trudged through the water, going after his van. Steven followed right after him, trying to help his dad. 

The gems just watched the interaction as the sunset for the day ended, hiding the golden orb for tomorrow morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about that?
> 
> Tell me in the comments if you feel like it. Since this is very canon divergent, I may or may not be skipping episodes or other things. 
> 
> Also, watching Laser Light Cannon was horrifying at points with the animation, and I'm glad the quality of the show got better. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for havin' me!


	3. Cheeseburger Backpack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven gets a backpack and goes on a epic quest to a deteriorating Sea Spire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Notes 2.0!
> 
> I updated the chapter so it should look better, and have minor edits! Now we can throw out the old one! 
> 
> If you like this chapter, leave kudos! Because god knows people these days are too scared to leave a comment! If you do feel like commenting, tell me some things you did or didn't like!

# Cheeseburger Backpack

Steven sat on a flat-edged rock with his hands around his knees. A mailbox sat in sand by his right, which was tilted slightly to the side. Sand wasn't the best place for a mailbox. 

As he waited, the events from last week made its way into his mind. ' _I almost donked up when that eye came. We almost didn't stop it because of me, if I knew how to use my mom's powers-'_

His thoughts were interrupted by a mailman, more like a mailboy, walking past the mailbox. Steven quickly jumped off the rock he was on and ran in front of the mailman with a smile. 

"Hey Jamie! Do you have my package?" Steven asked excitedly as the mailman, named Jamie, looked in his bag. 

"Do you mean… this loaf of bread with a tag on it?" Jamie asked, pulling out a single loaf of bread. Steven shook his head with his arms crossed. "No, not that one." 

"Oh, sorry." Jamie put the loaf back in his bag before grabbing a box, "Okay, yep, here we are. Steven Universe." 

Steven smiled and looked up at Jamie, "Aha! This thing is gonna help me save the world!" 

"Really? It says it's from Wacky Sack Supply Company." Jamie said before looking off to the side with a sly smile. Steven looked confused as he looked in the same direction Jamie was looking in. 

_"This work is not sponsoring or endorsing any Wacky Sack Supply Company Products."_

  
-Drippin_Joe

Steven shook his head before continuing, "Garnet, Amethyst, Pink, and Pearl think I shouldn't go on any magical adventures because I don't know how to use my gem powers." Steven explained as he put a hand on his hip. 

"That seems reasonable." Jamie said as he listened, giving a casual shrug. 

"But there are other ways I can help!" Steven waved his arms out widely. 

Jamie looked at the package, then back at Steven skeptically, "With a wacky sack?" 

"Yeah!" 

"You know how you can save my world?" Jamie asked, taking off a clipboard from his belt. Steven leaned forward slightly in anticipation. "Sign here please." 

Steven grabbed a small pen on the clipboard's side and wrote his name with stars around it. "Barb yells at me if I don't get signatures." Jamie commented as he took the clipboard back. 

"That's awful." Steven frowned before a brilliant light shined through the beach house's windows. It dimmed with a shimmer as Steven gasped, "The gems are back!" 

Steven took the package and bolted up the hill to his house. Jamie watched in confusion as the boy ran up the stairs, "Wait, Steven! What in the world is a wacky sack?" 

The boy had already ran inside, and closed the door behind him. He frowned in confusion when he saw the gems. 

"Hello Steven." Garnet greeted him with her usual emotionless blank face. Feathers were stuck in her afro, and were also littered across the floor. 

Pearl was arguing with Amethyst, who held a large blue and white egg in her arms. Pink was leaning on the counter and watching the two humorously.

"Amethyst, we do not need that! It's not gonna fit in the fridge!" Pearl said angrily, holding a small statue of a woman in her hand. 

"Hold on Pearl, let her try." Pink snorted as she held back a laugh. Amethyst smiled at Pink and looked back at Pearl, "Yeah! It'll work, watch." 

"Just…" Amethyst muttered as she grabbed a rack from the fridge carefully. After pulling it out a couple of inches, she threw it on the ground and pushed the egg inside. 

"See? It fits!" Amethyst said as she slammed the fridge door close, making a horrible cracking noise. "Oh man! We could make a big omelette, or a-"

Pearl stared at Amethyst as she listed different foods off to Pink before looking down at Steven. "We fought a giant bird. We're only here for a second, we've gotta go back out."

"What? Why?" Steven asked sadly. Pearl held up the statue in her hand. "We have to place this Moon Goddess Statue on the top of the Lunar Sea Spire before midnight. Without it, the whole place will fall apart…"

"Oh Steven," She said as she placed another hand on the statue. "You should've seen the Spire back in its heyday. It was an oasis for gems on Earth." She frowned as her eyebrows furrowed. 

"It's abandoned now, but we can still save it," She held the statue up with two hands, "With this statue!" 

Stars in his eyes, Steven closed his open hand into a fist. "That's perfect!" 

Pearl looked at him in confusion, "What? Why?" 

Steven placed his package down on the floor before opening the top. "Because I can help carry it for you." He said smiling before pulling out a large backpack… shaped like a cheeseburger. "With this!" 

He held it up proudly in the air while making sound effects with his mouth. The gems looked at each other in silence, well, except for one. 

"A cheeseburger!" Pink said in awe from the kitchen, making the others look at her in confusion. Steven nodded and pointed at it with his hand. 

"You're right! It's just a novelty backpack, shaped like a cheeseburger! It has every condiment on it, and it's really hard to get nowadays!" 

He slipped it on his back. "I was just gonna wear it one day, and you guys would be all, 'Wow Steven, that's so cool!' But this is obviously important gem business." 

"Yes, so you should let us handle it." Pearl said as she crossed her arms.

"What?" Steven exclaimed, "But I'm a gem too, see?" He lifted up his shirt and showed his pink quartz gem, flicking his eyes up at her then down at his stomach. 

"Steven does have a point, Pearl." Pink said as she walked over and stood next to Amethyst. Pearl rolled her eyes, "But, he has a lot to learn."

"So let him come!" Amethyst chimed in, "It'll be educational." She waved her hands as Pearl hummed. After a while, she held up the statue. 

"Alright, you can carry it in your hamburger." She handed the statue to Steven, who smiled and dropped to his knees, opening his backpack. 

"Check this out! Everything is a pocket, even the cheese is a pocket!" He opened it up more and put the statue inside. "I can fit a lot more stuff in here, give me a minute, I'll pack extra supplies!" 

He ran off to the kitchen and picked up a bag of bagels, stuffing it into the backpack. The gems, meanwhile, walked over and watched him from the warp. 

"Is this a good idea? He's just a child." Pearl whispered to Pink, who was watching Steven's race to grab stuff. 

"This is his first mission, his test. Think about it Pearl, he's been wanting to go for a long time." Pink said as she nudged Pearl's shoulder, making the gem move away slightly. 

Pearl sighed before angrily looking up at Steven, who was packing a small plush toy in the backpack. "Steven, let's go!" 

Steven rushed down the stairs to the warp pad and jumped on. The backpack took up most of the warp pad behind Steven, making Pearl groan. 

"Did you have to pack your whole room?" Pearl asked as she put her hands on her hips. Amethyst chuckled, "Dang Steven, back that thing up." 

"Let's warp." Garnet said, interrupting the moment accordingly. The gems stood still as the warp sent a pillar of light up. The area in front of Steven, however, didn't. 

"Suck it in, Steven!" Amethyst said, making Steven suck in his gut, allowing light to pass. Soon they were in warp space, traveling through the stream. 

"Do you remember how to do this?" Pearl asked Steven, who was giggling and spinning around before his head drifted outside of the warp. 

Pearl grabbed his hair and pulled him back into the light, "Keep your head in." She muttered with gritted teeth. 

* * *

**Somewhere In The Northern Ocean**

Soon the warp pad stopped, and they appeared on a rocky cliff near a tall spiraling tower. Steven ended up landing on his stomach, groaning slightly from the impact. Tilting his head up, he looked up before gasping in awe. 

"Wow! I've never seen anything like this!" He said as he continued staring, while the gems looked in pain. The tower looked to be near ruins. A large chunk of its side falling off proved their thoughts. 

"It didn't look like this one-hundred years ago!" Pearl said as she walked off the warp pad. The gems followed suit and looked around at the old gem ruins. 

"This place isn't looking so well." Pink commented as she bent down and looked over the edge of the cliff, into the roaring rapids below. She could see fallen pieces of the spire sticking up from the water, moss growing on the top of them. 

Garnet stood next to a large boulder and fixed her visor, "I'm detecting structural instability." 

"Oh yeah, that's never a good thing." Steven said, walking over and standing next to Pink. Without warning, cracks began forming around them before the stone gave way. 

"Steven!" Pearl and Amethyst cried before Pink tackled him away, just in time before the rocks fell down into the water below. Pearl ran up to Steven as Pink slowly got off him. 

"No worries, we're oka-" 

"Steven! Are you hurt? I knew we shouldn't have taken him on this mission!" Pearl held Steven close as she angrily looked at the others. Pink pursed her lips at the interruption, while Amethyst rolled her eyes at Pearl's sudden exclamation. 

A squeaky noise came out from Steven's backpack before he laughed and wiggled out of Pearl's grip. Landing on the ground, he pulled out a green-ish stuffed toy with a bib. 

"Oh, Mr. Queasy! You never cease to entertain." Steven said before laughing and shaking the doll, making it say a line about having a medical condition. Pearl growled before grabbing Steven by the shoulders. 

"Steven! This place is your heritage. I want you to stay and help but you've really got to take this seriously!" Pearl let go of Steven, who was staring at her with a frown. He nodded his head soon and gave her a thumbs up. 

"You got it dude!" He said, sticking his tongue out and giving a thumbs up. Pearl stared at him before sighing. 

"We need to continue." Garnet said with a hand on her visor. The gems and Steven traveled up the rocky hill up to the Spire, Steven looking around at the many waterfalls surrounding them. 

Their first obstacle made its introduction. Garnet stopped and lifted a hand, prompting them to stop as well. 

"Hey, why'd we stop? We can jump over this easily." Amethyst asked as she kicked her foot on the ground. 

The obstacle was a four foot gap between the hill and the Spire. "No, the magic that sustains the whirlpool creates a vortex that pulls anything down below." 

To prove her point, Garnet picked up a nearby boulder and threw it across the gap. Instead of crashing into the Spire, it stopped in mid air before falling straight down into the whirlpool. 

"So we can't jump?" Pearl said as she looked at the gap, putting a finger on her small chin. 

Pink stepped forward, "Maybe if I summon some shields…" She aimed her hands toward the gap before hexagonal shields slowly formed above the gap. She smiled… before they fell into the gap and shattered. 

"Well, I got nothing." Pink said with a shrug as Steven dug through his backpack. "Hold on, I think I got something." 

Pulling out two long sweaters, Steven tied them by their sleeves and threw it around an arch on the Spire. Without trying to think of the massive death crevice he was jumping over, he swung across and landed on his sandals… sideways. 

He heard the gems cry his name as he struggled against the pull. Gathering enough strength, Steven ran up the wall before jumping up over the ledge. Sweating with wide eyes, he looked back to see the gems staring at him in shock. 

Amethyst seemed to be the first one to get out of her shock, "Alright Ste-man!" She summoned her whip and grabbed the three gems next to her, then swinged across the gap. 

It worked, and they landed next to Steven, who was staring at them with a smile. After the gems stood up, Pearl griped about how dangerous it was, while Garnet ruffled Steven's hair, Amethyst nudged his shoulder, Pink patted his shoulder, and Pearl complimented his idea, even if it was dangerous. 

They walked through the Spire, seeing destroyed statues and wall carvings. Pearl seemed to be the most devastated. "Oh, no, that was- and that looked like… oh, and this had a head." 

She stopped at a statue that Steven was standing next to. "Who were these statues supposed to be?" Steven asked as he looked at the ruined statue. Pearl placed a hand on her hip and a projection suddenly came from her gem. 

"Well, these statues were supposed to represent the four godde-" Pearl's lesson was interrupted when two large shrimp-like creatures climbed over the back of the statue. Pearl yelped before grabbing Steven and backing away from the statue. 

"Steven, get back!" She warned, even though she had already picked the boy up and moved him five feet away from the creatures. Steven didn't really see any danger in them, and just watched them in fascination. 

"Cool! What are those things? They look cute." He said before the statue fell over from the weight, tumbling off of the Spire. He frowned sadly as the creatures fell with it. 

"We need to continue. If there are Crystal Shrimp here, then we can't stop." Pearl said as she dropped Steven and looked to the other gems. Without any disagreements, the gems continued, going up a flight of stairs before meeting a room full of Crystal Shrimp. 

"It's an infestation, and we need to pass through there to get to the top." Pearl explained the obvious as they looked around at the creatures. Steven walked forward and bent down near one, "Can't you just move 'em?" 

Pearl grabbed him back, "Don't touch them! They're sharp and deadly!" She pushed him behind herself and stepped forward. 

She began a strategic plan, her gem making holograms of the gems. As she did this, Steven grabbed a plastic bag and took out two bagel sandwiches from his backpack. 

"And then I can advance with my-" 

"Bagel Sandwich!" Steven yelled as he threw one sandwich two one edge of the room, then to the other. 

"Nice thinking, Steven." Pink complimented, ruffling his hair. As Garnet and Amethyst passed by Steven, Pearl dissipated her hologram and walked next to Steven. 

"How did you know that would work?" She asked as the others walked ahead. Steven shrugged, "Well, if I were a shrimp, that's what I would do." 

"You are a shrimp." Amethyst teased with a smile behind Garnet, looking over her shoulder at Steven. 

"Just wanted everyone to know, my plan would have also worked." Pearl said as she and Steven joined the others on the stairs. 

Walking up on another spiral staircase, they soon came up on another room. "Watch out!" Garnet said before a wall broke open and water poured out like a river. The room was now split in two, with a river between them and another staircase. 

"How are we gonna cross this?" Pearl asked before her and the other gems looked to Steven. He looked at them before pointing at himself, "Me?" 

"What have you got?" Garnet asked, making the boy smile widely before digging around in his backpack. Amethyst began chanting, Pink joining in, before stopping and looking at Pearl. "C'mon Pearl, join in!" 

"Well… alright." The pale gem said before joining the chant, making the boy smile before grabbing out a large yellow cylinder with an orange plug. 

"A raft!" Steven said before pulling the plug, causing it to inflate into a raft. The gems gasped as he threw it into the river and watched it drift off the edge of the Spire. 

They stared at the edge while Garnet kicked a nearby pillar and hit it with her elbow, causing it to fall over the river. "Good idea anyway, Steven." 

"Yeah, we can't always be winners." Amethyst shrugged as they walked over the pillar to the other side. "I thought it would've worked, it was very smart too." Pink said as she smiled at Steven, contrast to his disappointed frown. 

The gems walked up the final flight of stairs. Steven looked down the edge and bit his lip, seeing how high they were. Continuing the climb, they finally made it to the end of the stairs. 

The top was mostly flat, giving a view of the surrounding ocean. Near the middle was a curved rock jutting out, and a round pedestal facing the gems. 

"This is it, the Moon Goddess pedestal… And the moon is almost overhead! It's not too late to save this piece of history!" Pearl said happily as she brought her hands close to her chest, her hands in fists. 

Garnet turned to Steven, who was looking around at the ocean. "Steven, the statue." 

Steven nodded before rummaging through his backpack. "I should have it in here." He continued before his face fell. He slowly grew desperate as he quickly fell to his knees and began looking through more pockets. 

"Steven, do you have it?" Pink asked as she watched him stop. His eyes widened, "I don't have it." 

The gems gasped in surprise. "What!?" Pearl screamed in horror. The gems looked back to the moon and noticed it slowly moving overhead. "There's… no time." Pearl put a hand over her mouth in horror before Steven spoke up. 

"Wait! I have an idea!" He took out Mr. Queasy and held him up for the gems to see. 

"Could that work?" Amethyst asked as she looked up at Pearl, who then looked at Pink. 

"I-I don't know? Maybe?" She shrugged, unsure of the idea. Steven took that as a 'yes' and nodded his head. 

Steven walked past her and placed the toy on the pedestal. They stared at it as nothing happened for a few seconds, before a ray of blue light flew into the sky and highlighted the moon. 

They held their mouths open as the toy floated up into the air before vibrating violently. The toy began to holler before it exploded into fluff and pieces. 

The gems cried as they shielded themselves. The Spire began shaking angrily before water slowly encompassed the tower. "Keep steady!" Garnet yelled before Amethyst accidentally tackled her to the ground. 

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Steven looked around as the Spire broke up into pieces, before the entire building was engulfed into the ocean. 

Seconds went by quietly, as if nothing happened, before Steven broke the surface with heavy breathing. The others soon came to the surface as well, coughing up water. They all looked around themselves before Steven caught their attention with a cry. 

"This is all my fault! I broke it!" Steven said as he looked to the gems, biting his lower lip regretfully. 

"No! Steven, the Spire was falling apart when we got here! You handled everything well under pressure." Pearl praised as she held up a hand to her head. "You did great!"

"Yeah! And two outta four of your ideas worked! That's fifty percent!" Amethyst said, also giving Steven a smile. 

"And not to mention how brave you were! This was your first mission, of course things will go bad! That's alright!" Pink grinned with a shrug. Steven looked at them with wide eyes before smiling. 

"Yeah… I guess you're right. We can't all be winners." He said before bubbles began forming nearby. The gems looked on as the raft from earlier popped up and floated around. 

The gems stared at the raft before Steven threw his fists excitedly in the air, "Alright! Three outta four!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Crap, now I gotta make another chapter."
> 
> I hope the shields aren't too un-Pinky D. I feel like she would find out about her diamond powers, especially during the war. When all your friends kinda die, but idk it's my right to give her the Shatterer Specials Mk 30.


	4. Together Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven creates a large breakfast to share with the gems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> Guess who took nearly two weeks to make a chapter? This guy right here!
> 
> In all seriousness, I've had a bad burn out, but I escaped it and finally made a chapter. I really didn't mean to take so long to make one, so I apologize.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

# Together Breakfast

The beach house stood quietly while the sun rose out from the horizon. As light poured into the house, an alarm clock, shaped like a character from a brand of ice cream, began ringing out loudly. 

Steven, who had been sleeping soundly, almost instantly sat up, turned it off, and threw off his cover. He pushed himself off of his bed and, after carefully stepping over his VideoCube and a few game cases that sat on the floor, opened the drawer behind the t.v and pulled out some random pieces of clothing. 

It was really easy for him to get dressed, since most of his clothes were the same. Most, if not all, of his shirts had the same design, with a star on all of them. The only thing that changed was the color, with a few reds and blues, and a large black shirt that didn't fit him yet.

Grabbing one of the red shirts, he moved down the drawer and grabbed a pair of underwear and jeans. Running downstairs, he rushed to the bathroom and closed the door. 

After a few minutes, the bathroom door opened quickly and Steven rushed out, closing it blindly behind him. He rushed across the room and entered the kitchen area, stopping at the counter. 

This seemed to be the only time where he stopped rushing, instead looking up at the ceiling with a determined gleam in his eyes. 

"Today's the day… I make the ultimate breakfast." 

* * *

He placed down the final ingredient onto his creation, a single strawberry. Backing away from the bar, he smiled before pumping his fists in the air. 

"It's done! Together Breakfast!" 

The 'Together Breakfast' as he named it, was a large stack of waffles, covered in popcorn, maple syrup and laced with a whipped cream top with a strawberry in it. 

He placed his hands on the plate the stack was on, and lifted it up. "Now… I just have to find the gems." 

Starting with the temple door, he began banging on it. "Hello!? Garnet? Amethyst? Pearl? Anyone home?"

After getting no response, he hummed while placing a finger on his chin. Walking to the front door, he opened it wide and yelled, "Pink? Pearl? Hello?"

Closing the door, he sighed and looked over to his breakfast amalgamation and shook his head. Walking over, he laid himself down on the bar while frowning. ' _Guess they're still out saving the world.'_

The warp pad surprisingly activated from behind, making Steven jump and fall off of the bar. He stood up and looked at the warp pad, seeing Pink and Garnet standing on it. 

"Hey guys! Look what I made!" Steven picked up the breakfast and walked out from the kitchen, facing the two gems. "It's not exactly healthy… but it's in a stack, so I guess you could say it's a… Balanced breakfast!"

He smiled widely at the gems on the warp pad. Pink snorted before giggling and shaking her head slowly. Garnet stood still with no reaction, and looked as emotionless as ever. 

Steven, seeing her lack of any reaction, began explaining his creation. "Y'know, I made us all breakfast, so we could eat together like best buds."

"Sorry Steven, but we got some business to get to. Maybe later?" Pink said as Garnet walked up to the temple door. 

Steven faltered and frowned, "But… I put so much time into this! And what business?" He asked while putting the plate down on the bar and putting his hands on his hips. 

Garnet walked past Pink and held out a strange scroll-like artifact to him. "We have to burn this."

Steven stared into the strange symbols while hearing whispers in his ears. The noises didn't stop him from taking out his phone and taking a picture. "Cool!"

A pink gloved hand took the phone away. "And now we have to burn this." Steven looked up in shock and saw Pink and Garnet walk into the temple. "No, my apps!" Steven cried while running towards the door. 

"Sorry Steven! We'll get you a new one!" Pink said before the door closed on Steven's face. The boy backed up slightly before glaring at the temple door. 

"Door… open!" He grabbed his stomach, near his gem, and pushed it against the door. After nothing happened for a few seconds, he sighed frustratingly and slowly walked back to his breakfast. 

"Why don't you ever work when I need you to?" He asked as he looked down at his gem, glaring at it. 

Suddenly, the front door was kicked open, making him tumble back and yelp. A purple police officer with a large mustache and a water gun pointed at him. 

"Dumb police! Uh, your dumb!" The cop aimed up and targeted the breakfast stack on the bar. 

"No!" Steven yelled as the cop shot water at the breakfast, causing Steven to risk his life valiantly and jump in front of the water, protecting the waffles!

Falling to the ground, Steven groaned and pushed himself up. He looked to the cop to see their head turn into Amethyst's, who was laughing hysterically. 

"Oh man! I totally got you! You should've seen the look on your face!" This caused Steven to look at her angrily while walking over to the couch. 

"I knew it was you." Steven said, causing Amethyst to retort. "What? How?"

"Cause that's a water gun," Steven said as he took off his red shirt, then opened a large cabinet and put the shirt inside. "And I'm not dumb."

He took out a light blue shirt and put it over his head. "You got something on your shirt." Amethyst said while pointing at him. 

He fully put it on and looked down at it, before a jet of water shot him straight in the chest, causing him to cover his face as water shot him. 

As he blocked the water with his hands, the sound of the temple door opening caught Amethyst's attention. She and Steven looked over to see purple lines travel down it. 

"Hey! That's my room!" Amethyst said as her body changed back to normal and she dropped the water gun, running over to the door. 

The door opened fully as Pearl walked out, a sword resting in her hands. She looked down and smiled. "Oh, Amethyst, there you are. Care to explain what one of my swords was doing in your room?"

She frowned down at the Quartz, who rolled her eyes and waved her hands. "Having a sword party."

Pearl groaned, "Oh please, you took it!" She accused, causing Amethyst to angrily scrunch up her hands to fists. 

"I did not!" She said while glare at Pearl. Pearl closed her eyes while holding up the sword. 

"It's fine, it's in the past," She twirled the sword and let it rest on her shoulder. "I forgive you." She smiled while Amethyst huffed and looked away.

"Also, I cleaned up your horrible, horrible mess. You're welcome." Amethyst suddenly panicked while looking into her room. 

"You did what?! I have a system!" She said while running into her room, the temple door closing behind her soon after. 

"Amethyst! Wait!" Steven yelled as he ran towards the door, stopping next to Pearl. 

"What's the matter, Steven?" Pearl asked as the boy slowly walked to the bar. "I wanted us all to eat breakfast together! So I made this Together Breakfast, but everyone keeps leaving." He said as he turned back to Pearl. 

Pearl was facing the temple door and was already opening it to her room. "Aw, that's nice." She said before the door fully opened. She walked into the room and disappeared into the water, making Steven panic.

"Oh no! Not you too!" He grabbed the plate of waffles and ran to the door. "I can't let this become a Together Brunch!"

The door began closing, but his arm stuck through, causing it to stop. He pushed against it and got through completely. 

"Woah." He said in surprise as he looked around at Pearl's room. It was made up of different sized platforms, made from seemingly floating water. The water fell into a large pool that seemed to flow away from him. 

Pearl appeared from the water, twirling around with the same sword she had previously. After spinning around, a whole circle of swords floated up from the water. 

Pearl looked around at them before stopping at a scabbard and sliding the sword into it. "There we go." She said while smiling, before noticing it was slightly tilted. 

She straightened it out and then hummed, satisfied. Steven blinked at her before calling out her name, "Hey Pearl!"

The gem looked up before recoiling slightly, causing the swords to fall back into the water. "Steven! What are you doing here? You know it's dangerous for you inside the temple."

She flicked her index finger up, causing the temple door to open up behind Steven. He looked back at it before his eyebrows narrowed. 

"We're gonna have a nice Together Breakfast! Even if I have to get my shoes wet!" He stepped forward into the water, expecting to be able to walk across. Instead, he fell and yelped, putting the Together Breakfast above his head. 

The water came up above his chest, but he continued forward. "What?!" Pearl cried, "Get out of there!" She said while Steven drifted forward. 

"Here, I'll swim it over to you!" He began swimming with one arm. "See? Doggy paddle forward!" 

Steven looked forward before being met with a huge drop off, seeing how the water fell. "Oh gosh! Wait! Doggy paddle reverse! Reverse!" He began falling down the waterfall while paddling back quickly. 

He began going faster as adrenaline rushed through him. He looked away before noticing that the water bent strangely. He looked up at it while the bend continued. 

"What the-" The water straightened out, letting him ride it like a slide. He yelled as the water began drifting upwards, then into crazy bends. On the final hill, he looked down and saw a massive pond. 

As he fell, he yelled out, "Keep it together breakfast!" Before he landed in the water and was engulfed. 

Soon, he drifted to the shore of the pond, Together Breakfast held above him still, and seemingly untouched by the water. He groaned before coughing, struggling to push himself up. 

He spit out some water before looking around. Around him, and the area, were piles of random furniture and junk, and he saw Amethyst walking over to a mattress before chucking it away. 

Standing up fully, Steven awkwardly walked over, his clothes soggy. "Hey Amethyst!" He said as he waved over at her. 

She turned around while patting her hands together. "Oh! Hey Steven, did you come down the waterfall? Pearl gets so mad that I have her junk, but it's always falling down here!"

Steven raised an eyebrow, "Junk like what?" He asked while giving a smile. Amethyst smiled before picking him up. "Junk like you!"

Steven laughed while kicking his legs. "I'mma put you in the junk pile!" Amethyst said while running over to a nearby pile of junk and tossing Steven on it. 

Steven continued to laugh until Amethyst spoke up. "Isn't it awful? Pearl organized everything." She said while placing her hands on her hips. 

Steven looked at the pile, "Still looks messy to me." He said while shrugging. 

"Aw thanks, I try." Amethyst said with a smile before kicking away a filing cabinet and some clothes. "Boom!" 

Steven looked up and looked around at all of the crystals in the walls. "Woah, I haven't really been in here before."

Amethyst walked up before taking note of the large stack of waffles in Steven's hands. "Hey Steven, what's that?"

"Oh? This is our Together Breakfast. I'm trying to get the others so we can all eat together."

Amethyst nodded while humming, before suddenly reaching out at him, "Gimme, gimme!"

Steven screamed before hopping off of the trash pile, running away. Amethyst chased after him as he ran into a tunnel. As he ran, Steven looked back at her, "We have to eat together!"

She didn't seem to listen, instead laughing as she chased him. The tunnel began turning, flipping him upside down. He didn't seem to notice until he saw the waffles start to fall off of the plate. 

He flipped it around quickly until the tunnel began turning right side up, making him turn the plate the correct way. Looking ahead, he saw that the tunnel ended and led into a large open room with floating stone platforms. 

He looked behind to see Amethyst running towards him. "Steven! I'm hungry!" She called out, causing him to frown and jump onto one of the floating platforms. 

"Just. Hold. On!" He said between jumps, Amethyst jumping after him. He looked down and saw another entrance. 

"An exit! Woooh!" He jumped down, causing the waffles to fall off the plate. After he landed, he caught the waffles with the plate, with them forming a stack again. He smiled before running into another tunnel. "Skills!" 

Amethyst landed at the exit with a front flip before continuing her chase. Steven looked back at her again, "You're completely missing the point of this!" 

Soon, he ran into a large room and jumped onto a red crystalline pole. Amethyst stopped before putting up her hands, "Hey, wait a second!" 

"Steven! There you are!" Turning his head, Steven saw Pearl standing across the room. Steven smiled at her, "Pearl! Sweet! Two outta four!"

Pearl looked up and fear filled her eyes. "Oh… oh! Steven, be careful!" She warned, causing Steven to look up. Above him was a humongous crystalline heart, attached to hundreds of poles, similar to the one he was on. 

"Woah!" He said in awe while Pearl spoke up, "You really shouldn't be in here. This is the Crystal Heart, oh! It's connected to the most dangerous areas of the temple!" 

She held out her hands towards him, "Hold on tight, and don't look down!" Steven stared at her while she ran at him, before looking down, seeing a pitch black void. 

Steven's eyes widened with fear before he panicked and began sliding on the pole, causing him to start falling down. He screamed out while he slid down the pole, hearing the wind rush past his ears. 

The walls around the pole suddenly turned into soft pink clouds, making Steven look around. "Oh hey, this isn't so bad."

The pink clouds disappeared not a second later, and were replaced with jagged walls and bright red crystals. He screamed out again and hugged the pole closer, "Nevermind!"

The walls changed into ice before the pole ended with a bend, causing Steven to lose his momentum and stop. He breathed in heavily while looking around the new room. 

Colored bubbles with gems inside floated around the room, and reached high in the room. He looked down to see Garnet and Pink near a well full of lava. 

He watched Pink break his phone in half, causing him to hurt a little, and Garnet put the scroll over the well, letting it float down before catching fire. 

She put a bubble around it as the scroll began smoking pitch black. Lifting it up, she held the bubble carefully as Steven slowly climbed down the pole. 

Pearl and Amethyst appeared at the door, quietly rushing over to Steven. His eyes widened before he said, "This is great! We're all together!"

This caused Pink and Garnet to turn around in surprise. "What the- Steven?! What are you doing here?" Pink asked in fright before she looked to Garnet. 

The bubble Garnet held began shifting around, the smoke inside pushing against it. "Steven! Go!" 

"Okay! Do you want to eat in the kitchen?" He said, not assessing the situation at hand. This was the final act for the bubble to burst, releasing the smoke. 

Pearl and Amethyst passed Steven as the smoke rose before taking shape and sending a large glob of smoke at the ground near Garnet. 

Garnet and Pink were joined by Pearl and Amethyst as they summoned their weapons. 

"It's trying to escape! Force it back!" Pink yelled as Garnet ran forward and punched the smoke upwards. It hit the roof and sent hands made of smoke into the floor. 

Steven narrowly dodged one before running away from it. Amethyst jumped in the smoke's way and whipped it back. Pink lunged and sent her sword into the smoke's form, making it scream before moving across the roof towards Pearl.

Pearl stabbed a hand with her spear and Garnet punched again, sending it back again. It made a guttural screeching noise before sending a large hand towards Steven. 

The boy was hit full force, and was sent flying before hitting his back on the floor. He groaned and sat up, looking down at his Together Breakfast. 

It looked like nothing happened, until it twitched and began growing larger. "Together Breakfast?"

He screamed loudly as the giant monstrosity of pancake, whipped cream, and syrup pinned him to the floor. The monster was impaled by a white spear, and Pearl called out.

"It's taken refuge in organic matter!" She was cut off as the monster hit her with a giant fist of whipped cream and syrup. Pearl was stuck to the wall by it, making her struggle. 

"Now it has all the power of a breakfast! We must destroy it!" Garnet said as Pearl tried getting away from the whipped cream. 

"This is horrible!" She cried as the cream began covering her. Pink ran over and tried cutting the monster from Pearl, just to be grabbed around the neck and pinned to the floor. 

The monster took out Pearl's spear from its body and broke it in half, causing it to disappear. Garnet punched it, but was instead grabbed by the monster. Amethyst ran up from behind and tried pulling Garnet from the monster. 

"I-I didn't want this! I just wanted to eat together li-ike best buds!" Steven said as he pushed away the plate the monster was attached to. 

"Steven, you got to get away!" Garnet said, still struggling with the monster. Steven looked at her, "But my breakfast!"

Before Garnet could respond, the monster sent a giant waffle at her and Amethyst, sending them into the wall, creating a crater. 

Steven stared at the waffle against the wall before his anger boiled up, willing him to push harder against the monster. "I don't care if you're the most important meal of the day!" 

He struggled against it before pushing the plate forward, causing light to shine through it. The monster was slowly pushed into the Lava Well by Steven, who now stood over it.

"I made you to bring us together! Not to tear us apart!" With one final push, the monster evaporated in a flame, gone in a flash. Flames licked at the lava as the gems escaped from pieces of the monster. 

The gems slowly made their way to the well, next to Steven. He looked around at them sadly, eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry guys, I… I guess I dreamed too big…"

He looked down into the lava and sighed, "I just wanted us together, for once. You guys are always doing gem stuff, and leaving me behind." 

The gems looked between each other before the same idea popped into their heads.

* * *

"It looks great! It's even more Together and even more Breakfast!" Steven said as he looked at the twin Together Breakfasts in awe. 

"Yep, and we couldn't have done it without you, Steven." Garnet said as she gave him a smile. 

"Yeah! Plus, this thing looks killer." Amethyst said as she sat on the edge of the bar, next to Garnet. 

Steven smiled with wide eyes as he looked between the gems. He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and pointed at the Double Together Breakfast. 

"Alright! Let's eat this thing!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that was good, cause I have no idea!
> 
> Leave a comment on anything you liked, disliked, or any questions you have! It means a lot to me!
> 
> I don't have a schedule, as seen with the long break, but I hope to have one soon.
> 
> Until next time!


	5. Steven's Lion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and the gems go out on a mission to the desert, which ends up giving Steven a new best friend and a new experience he didn't expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally rewrote this chapter, now it's completely different!  
> I'm glad that I'm going back and rewriting these things, but I feel like the damage is already done, y'know?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

# Steven's Lion

The scorching heat blasted across the desert, which was dotted with large sand pillars, stairs, and walls. The pillars fell and walls rose, falling up and down like a never-ending cycle. In the distance, a hand appeared over a mound. 

"Steven, stop crawling in the sand, you're gonna hurt yourself." Pearl's voice reprimanded. Steven appeared atop the mound, followed by the gems. 

"You don't understand… This is how… you're supposed to act… in the… desert." Steven wheezed, panting while standing up. "Is this the place?" He asked, exhausted. 

"Yes Steven, this is the place. The power in this desert has turned aimless." Garnet answered, her hands on her hips. 

"It's building columns without roofs, stairs that go nowhere! It's out of control!" Pearl said while pointing her hands at the distant sand fortress. 

"If it continues like this, the entire desert could be distorted." Pink said with a frown while Amethyst walked up behind Steven and placed her hands on his shoulders. 

"Then I guess we better," She jumped over Steven's head and rolled down the mound, "Roll on over there." 

"That was a bit unnecessary." Pearl griped, earning a mimic from Amethyst. A loud growl came from the distance, making the gems look around while preparing themselves. "What was that?" Steven asked, looking around with a scared look. 

"We better check it out," Garnet said before turning to him, "It'd be best if you stay here, Steven." 

"We'll be quick, don't worry." Pink said while laying a hand on his head. Steven looked up at her with scared, puppy dog eyes, making her sigh, "Hey Amethyst, how about you stay here with Steven?" 

Amethyst groaned and looked back at her, "Ughh… fine, I'll stay." 

"There Steven, now you'll be safe from anything that tries to eat you." Pink said with a smile, looking down at the boy. "Alright, thanks." He mumbled, wiping some of his sweat away. 

"Good luck, wet one." Garnet said while rubbing her hand on his forehead and flicking the sweat at his face. Steven giggled while Garnet, Pink, and Pearl ran off to the fortress. Steven looked around before looking at Amethyst. 

"Hey Amethyst, I'm gonna go sit in the shade over there." He said, pointing at a nearby pillar. Amethyst waved her hand and mumbled something he couldn't hear. Steven walked over to the pillar and sat in the shadow created by it. He sighed in relief, happy to be out of the sun's glare. 

He heard a similar growl from earlier, which put him on edge and caused him to look around. "No worries," He mumbled, "I am the wet one." He pulled his shirt up to get cool, but the desert’s heat just made it worse.

As he was putting his shirt down, he saw a large black figure of a creature nearby, making him yelp and run behind the pillar. "Amethyst!" He yelled, hoping she would stop it from coming to him. The pillar fell down into the sand, leaving him out in the open. Turning around, he was face to face with the creature, which turned out to be a large lion. Steven screamed and began backing away from it, his eyes wide. 

"Please don't eat me! Please!" He begged while raising his arms up proactively. A massive sand wall rose up from behind him, stopping him in his tracks. The lion took three more steps and stood over him as he fell on his butt. "Please don't!" 

"Hey!" He heard Amethyst yell, making him turn his head to the side with a gasp. The purple gem suddenly landed in front of him, facing the lion. 

Amethyst pulled out her whip and glared up at the lion, "Back off, Fur Boy!"

The lion looked down at her before yawning loudly and falling to the ground sleepily. Steven and Amethyst blinked in confusion. "You alright buddy?" Amethyst asked while turning her head to Steven with a raised eyebrow. 

"Yeah, but… why isn't it attacking?" Steven asked while peering over Amethyst's shoulder at the lion. Amethyst dissipated her whip, and watched the lion carefully. He stepped forward, slowly raising a hand to it. A hand quickly landed on his shoulder, making him look back at Amethyst. 

"Dude, be careful." She warned, looking into his eyes with worry. Steven nodded and took another step, making Amethyst take her hand off his shoulder. He was now a foot away, his hand nearly touching the lion. The lion suddenly yawned, scaring Steven enough for him to jump back three feet. 

He opened his eyes and noticed the lion hadn't moved at all, making him raise an eyebrow. Stepping closer, he laid his hand down on top of the lion's mane. "Woah… Amethyst, I think it's tame." He said while rubbing his hand across the soft mane of the lion. 

"How? And why is it pink?" Amethyst asked while walking up and petting the lion too. 

"I don't know, but he seems really chill!" Steven said before climbing onto its back. "He's, like, the cotton candy of the jungle!" 

Amethyst giggled before petting the lion's head. The pink lion looked up at her and fell back to sleep. "Wow, Amethyst, can we keep him?" Steven asked while climbing up on the mane. 

"I don't know Steven… but this guy is a pretty chill." Amethyst said while leaning against the lion. Steven giggled before a giant explosion in the distance sent a wave of sand flying towards them. Seconds went by before Amethyst, Steven, and the lion popped their heads out the sand and shook off bits of clinging sand. All three looked to the left and saw Pink, Pearl, and Garnet walking towards them. Perl was holding a light blue bubble in her hands that had some sort of pillow inside, “There, now we don’t need to worry about-STEVEN!”

Her sudden yell made Pink jump back in alarm and Garnet frown while looking over to Steven and Amethyst. Pink noticed the boy standing next to the apex predator and suddenly did the same, “Steven!” 

Pearl summoned her spear and pointed it at the two, “What are you two doing? Get away from that thing!” Amethyst and Steven jumped up and quickly shook their heads. “Wait! It’s tame! It’s alright!” 

Pearl gave them a doubtful glare, “What are you talking about? It’s some sort of lion!” 

“Hold on, I think they're right, Pearl. Look, it’s just sitting there,” Pink walked ahead and fell on it while petting its fur. “Sitting here like a precious little animal, isn’t that right?~” She cooed to the large pink animal as Pearl and Garnet stepped closer. Pearl crossed her arms and mumbled, “I can see why... must be another one of your pets.”

“Actually… I’ve never seen this thing before. Which is a shame because he’s such a good, fluffy boy, isn’t that right?” She petted the lion’s mane as it stared at her with the side of its eye. Steven turned his head to her and asked, “If you haven’t seen him before, then why is he pink?” 

Pink looked off to the side and said, “Not _all_ pink people know each other, Steven.” She then smiled back at the lion as Pearl shook her head and crossed her arms. 

“Well, we need to go home soon. Steven won’t be able to take the heat much longer out here.” Pearl said, making Steven squint at her with cracked lips and a waterfall of sweat falling off of him. “What do you mean, Pearl?”

Suddenly, the pale gem picked him up and held him under her shoulder. “Come on, we’re leaving.” 

“Wait! What about the lion?” Steven asked as he struggled in her hand to look back at the pink creature. Pearl glanced back and said, “I thought we agreed on _no more_ pets in the house!” 

Pink walked up next to Pearl with a begging smile, “Come on Pearl, we should keep it.” 

“ _You’re_ the reason we aren’t.” Pearl said as she glowered at her. Pink frowned and crossed her arms, grumbling, “It’s not _my_ fault _._ ” 

Steven didn’t listen to the two as he watched the pink lion disappear in the sand, making him frown sadly and stare at the ground.

* * *

Steven was currently playing one of the most hardcore fights he’s had to play. The final dungeon in Golf Quest Mini was his biggest weakness, and he was currently in the second to last battle. Right next to him, Amethyst and Pink were watching, enthralled by the screen. 

“C’mon Steven, use one of those large attacks again!” Amethyst encouraged while pumping a fist. Clearly, she was getting into it. 

Steven felt sweat roll off his forehead before a loud scratching came from the door, making Steven accidentally turn his head unconsciously. It was the biggest mistake of his life, as he whipped his head back and saw that he had failed. “No!” He screamed while holding his head, “That was… augh!”

“It’s okay, Steven. Maybe you can do it next time.” Pink shrugged nonchalantly, secretly having no idea what was actually happening in the game. She wasn’t going to tell them, of course.

“Yeah, just… agh,” He groaned as the scratching continued, “That’s probably that weird guy trying to sell me _cable_ insurance.”

“You need to tell him to back off, man.” Amethyst said angrily, putting her hands behind her head. Steven nodded and walked down the stairs, stopping in front of the door. “Okay, that’s en-” He froze when, after opening the door, he was face-to-face with the pink lion from the desert. “You’re back!”

Steven hugged the beast as Amethyst and Pink looked downstairs, just to see Steven leading Lion in. “Look who came!” 

Pink gasped as she smiled excitedly. Amethyst’s eyes widened a bit, but soon went nonchalant. The pink gem upstairs quickly ran downstairs and hugged the lion, “Awww… he missed us!” 

“It must be _pretty_ lonely then.” Amethyst commented as she came down the stairs. Steven gasped at her words before looking up to the lion, “Wait… what if he spent his entire _life_ in that desert! He must want to be friends because he doesn’t have anybody!”

He hugged and petted the lion’s mane and smiled, “No worries, bud. You can be friends with us!” 

Amethyst snorted at the two before walking past, “Welp, have fun with that thing. I’m gonna go eat some garbage.” Steven said goodbye as she went inside her room before turning to Pink. “Alright, what are we gonna do first with this guy?”

“How about... a nickname?” Pink suggested while slowing her pets, letting her hand glide across the animal’s fur. 

“That’s a good one! We need something really cool and mysterious, like… _Lion_!” He blurted out while holding Lion’s face, smiling widely. 

Pink looked confused for a second before laughing and leaning against Lion for support, “Lion? Haha!” 

“Yeah, it leaves him with a sense of mystery, like what’s his real name? Is he a movie actor?” 

“It’s wonderful… hello Lion, it's nice to meet you!” She greeted while getting on her knees and looking at him from the side. “Maybe that’s his name because he left his past behind, and lives days where he wishes he was better and tries to improve himself.” Pink said softly as she twirled a finger in the animal’s mane. 

“Wow… cool!” Steven said while giggling, before Lion licked the side of his face, making him back up and sputter, “Aw! Weird!” 

Pink laughed and said, “He’s amazing. Come on, we gotta play a game with him or something!” 

“Uh, sure! Wanna do that, Lion?” Steven asked the cotton candy of the jungle before Lion suddenly growled at the pink gem next to him, making Pink move back with a surprised look. Steven shrugged with a smile, “Guess that means yes!” 

* * *

Steven yawned as he stepped out from the bathroom. The house was completely dark, only lit by the moon outside and a lamp by his bed. “Alright, Lion. Where’d you-Lion!” He interrupted himself when he saw the pink feline up on his bed, his cover hiding him. Steven ran upstairs and grabbed hold of the white cover, “Lion, this is my bed!” 

He yanks the cover off and sighs, “I guess I’ll have to make you one.”

After dragging off all of the cushions off the couch and putting them on the floor, Steven put two blankets down on them and presented it to Lion. “There! Now you have your own place to sleep.” 

Lion placed a paw on Steven and pushed him against his mane, making Steven laugh and push back. “Awww.... you’re welcome!” He escaped and walked upstairs, before falling in bed and yawning tiredly. “Goodnight Lion… see you… in the… morning.” After that, he quickly fell asleep. 

Then he found himself staring up at a pink sky, long grass surrounding him on both sides. He looked around confused before looking up. A black shadow of some kind of tree was in the distance. He raised an eyebrow before realizing he couldn’t breath. He struggled for air before he felt his feet get tugged on. Eventually, he flew out and landed against someone, and he gasped for breath as he heard, “Steven! Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I just couldn’t breath for a second.” He turned his head and looked at her upside down face. She turned him around so he was facing the right way and set him down. 

“Ugh! How did this thing even get in here?”

“We let him in Pearl, please… let me keep him?”

”He just began suffocating you!”

“No, wait, please he can change! Right, Lion?” Steven looked back at the feline, who just stared back at him. Pearl scoffed and said, “No, we are not keeping that thing in here! It’s a wild animal, not a pet.”

“Pwease?” Steven gave her the biggest puppy dog eyes he could, clasping his hands together and rolling his shoulder. Pearl glared at him, but it began failing as she met his eyes. Eventually, she gasped and covered her eyes, “Fine… fine! Keep him, but if it causes trouble then it's gone!” 

“Alright! Now… wait a minute… why were you here Pearl?” 

Pearl’s face dropped and she nervously rubbed the back of her neck, “U-Um, well you see… I was… just checking on you! And I s-saw the lion there... and I pulled you out!”

Steven gave her a doubtful look and she gulped before sighing, “And I like to watch you sleep sometimes… and by sometimes, I mean of-”

“Okay! That’s enough! Both of you need to let me sleep, I’m a growing boy and need rest.” He angrily walked back to his bed and began pushing Lion off, which the pink animal didn’t fight against. Steven laid back down and closed his eyes, grumbling before going quiet. Then he opened an eye and saw Lion watching over him. “Lion, that means you too.”

He closed his eye and sat still, before opening it again and seeing Lion _and_ Pearl watching over him. The two ran back as Steven stood up and began swinging a pillow at them. After the two were gone, he fell back and let out a sigh. “Finally… now I can... “ He didn’t finish and instead opted to get more comfortable. Putting his cover on himself, he fell back to sweet dreams. 

_“Alright Cookie Cat! We saved the galaxy from those evil alien dudes!” Steven said as he high-fived his favorite cookie mascot._

_“Yes Steven, but now we must deal with the consequences of our journey.” Cookie Cat responded, their mouth not moving at all. Also… they sounded familiar. “And take a deep breath Steven.”_

Steven raised a confused eyebrow before he found himself in the field of pink grass again. He saw the tree in the distance sitting on a hill. Noticing he couldn’t breath, he internally screamed, ‘ _Liiiooonn!_ ’

He kicked his legs around before climbing out from Lion, gasping for breaths as he glared at the pink feline. “Lion! Why do you keep doing this? It’s barely been a day and you’re messing with me already! I...” His eyes teared up, “I thought we were friends.” 

Lion growled low, putting his head down while looking at Steven. Steven’s eyes lit up before he said, “Blink if this means you love me.”

Lion blinked, making Steven yell, “He loves me!” before hugging Lion. “Aww, I’m sorry. You’re a wonderful pink human being, except you’re not… cause you’re a lion.” Lion placed a paw on his back, making Steven look up at him. Steven nearly yelped when he felt claws suddenly scratch at his back. “Lion! What are you-” 

He froze when a soft glow came around his hands when he tried pushing back. The spots near his hands on Lion’s mane were glowing, and he gave a shocked look at Lion. “W-What! How are you doing that!?” He moved his hands away and placed it back on, causing it to happen again after a few seconds. Steven pushed his hand further and eventually put his body in. He appeared in the field, and quickly went out. 

“Lion… what is happening?” 

Lion simply licked his hair, making him chuckle. Steven nodded and took a deep breath before diving in. He was fully in the field now, and he saw the pink-leafed tree. His feet felt weird against the ground. It didn’t feel like dirt or… anything really. The grass around him seemed to move away from him as he walked. He stopped and put his head out for another breath before continuing. Eventually the grass stopped and the ground lifted into the hill. The tree was strange, pale wood and bright pink leaves dotted its branches. A pink flag was resting on a pole next to the base of the tree, and right in front was a large pink sword with a rose shaped pommel and vines trailing up the hilt. 

The cutlass-like sword seemed too big, at least for him. It was taller than he was, and probably too heavy for him to even hold. His eyes wandered over to a chest and saw a videotape laying on the ground, a few small crystals growing around it. Steven grabbed it and pulled it out, and saw ‘For Steven’ written on the side. He raised an eyebrow before his face turned red and he quickly ran down the hill. His foot caught itself and he began spinning out of control. When he reached the grass, he fell out of Lion’s mane and gasped. Looking down at the tape, he glanced up at his room before getting up and running upstairs. He slid the tape into his t.v. and turned it on, instantly seeing fuzzy footage. 

It was old, and showed a still shot of the beach, which turned to the right and showed someone with… no, his _dad_ , playing the guitar and sitting on a rock. A cut changed it to show a younger Greg holding a weird circle thing with lines running on the side. Steven swore he thinks he saw one on the beach once. 

“ _Rose, look, it's a sand dollar. These things are actually animals.”_

“ _Really? It’s so small!_ ” Steven’s eyes widened at the name drop and soft voice with no speaker. They must’ve been holding the camera, and only one thought was in his head when he processed it. 

“ _Yeah, they’re weird. I read about them in a book once and… wait, we’re getting off topic, let’s try this again._ ” 

The film cut to another shot of the beach, except in the middle was Greg, one foot on a rock propping up his guitar. He strummed the instrument before saying, “ _They call me, Mr. Universe! Watch out baby, cause you’re gonna have the coolest dad this side of the cosmos!”_ He began strumming and moving it around widely before saying, " _Alright, now hit the button.”_

“ _You mean this one? Wait…”_ A little flash appeared across the screen, accompanied by a bunch of pink stars.

“ _Um…. maybe, click it again._ ” This time, the screen flashed black while showing a cut star, still showing the film behind it. It was back on the beach, this time sitting above on the hand Steven knew as his ‘laundry area’. Below on the beach were the gems; he could make out Garnet, Amethyst, and Pink on the beach. Amethyst was on Garnet’s head while Pink was holding something in her hands to them. The screen cut again to show Amethyst peeking from the bottom of the camera. It lowered slightly and she was now sitting in the middle of the screen. Her hair was much shorter than it is now, and she looked really confused. 

“ _Hey… uh... buddy? This… this is confusing, what do I say again?_ ”

“ _Just talk to the camera, don’t worry about it._ ” 

“ _Um… I’m Amethyst! There, that should do it, right?_ ”

A soft chuckle could be heard again before it changed to Garnet, who also looked different. “ _Alright, just sa-_ ”

“ _Hello Steven, my name is Garnet. I hope you’re enjoying this film._ ” Garnet gave a thumbs up and a small smile, making Steven grin back. Another cut, and a new scene. This time it was Pink, awkwardly glancing to the side of the camera.

“ _Rose, are you sure? This is a little nerve racking.”_

“ _It’s okay, take your time. Just talk when you’re ready._ ” Pink nodded and took a deep breath before speaking.

“ _Hi… Steven. I can’t wait to meet you… in a couple of months. You’re probably watching this in the future, and have already met us. I… hope you’re enjoying being here, this planet is so beautiful._ _How was that?_ ”

“ _It was great._ ” 

The camera finally did its last cut, which was a shot of Greg sitting in the sand while a seagull walked up to him.

“ _Isn’t it wonderful, Steven? Everything here is so complicated, and filled with so many possibilities. Every living thing has an entirely unique experience, the sights they see, the lives they lead, the sounds they hear. And you’re going to be a part of that._ ”

The camera turned around and Steven’s body went as still as a statue as his mother faced the camera with a smile. “ _Steven, we can’t both exist. I’m going to become half of you. And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that’s me… loving you, and loving_ being _you. Because you’re going to become something extraordinary, you’re going to be a human being._ ” 

“ _Hey Rose!_ ” Greg yelled off camera, making Rose turn her head to the side before looking back at the camera. 

“ _Take care of them Steven… and be careful._ ” She gave one last smile before turning the camera around. It shook a little before sitting still, and Greg and Rose soon came into the picture. Greg placed a hand on Rose’s and the two leaned into a kiss, which was cut short by the battery of the camera dying. 

Steven was left with silence as the cassette tape slid out from the t.v. and the screen turned blue. Lion looked over as Steven picked up the tape and hugged it, before turning his head at the feline with thick tears running down his face. He stepped over and leaned against Lion, wrapping an arm around him. 

“T-Thank you, Lion.” The animal stared down at him as he wiped at his cheeks and glanced at the large painting of his mom. He hugged the tape a little closer to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a ride.
> 
> I actually nearly teared up when watching Rose's tape. It really hits different after the Pink Diamond reveal, y'know? I wanted to go back and add the gems little introduction things for Steven cause that makes sense. Well, Pearl didn't get one for obvious reasons...
> 
> Anyway, if you have anything to say about the fic, comment it below, and have a good day... Or night!


	6. So Many Birthdays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven learns that the gems are incredibly old, and decides to throw them birthday parties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hey! Hey!
> 
> It's me, Fat Albe- I mean Drippin Joe! Back with another chapter!  
> I was having a very hard time trying to write the next chapter, so I just decided to do this one for fun!

#  So Many Birthdays

Inside the temple, the rotten smell of… something nearly rendered the air lethal. It was bad enough that the Burning Room occasionally caught fire. 

Steven and the gems walked through Amethyst's room, with the boy leading ahead with a stick he found. 

_ 'Man, what could even make that smell? _ ' Steven thought as he looked around at the trash piles around them. 

"How can you live like this?" Pearl asked in aggravation, covering her nose. 

"It was fine until you guys started whining." Amethyst said while waving her hand, mimicking Pearl talking. 

"Amethyst, I could smell it from just standing outside the temple's door." Pink said, also covering her nose. 

Steven noticed a small aluminum-wrapped object stuck in the ground, and instantly noticed how worse the smell had gotten.

"I think I found it!" Steven said as he took it out of the ground and held it up. 

"What kind of horrible thing is this?" Pearl asked as she walked up to Steven, who proceeded to tear open the top of the wrapping. The spoiled smell became so strong you could basically see it.

"It's a burrito." Garnet pointed out, making Amethyst smirk. 

"It's a tuna burrito from Aqua-Mexican." Amethyst said while taking it from Steven. 

"That place shut down like five years ago!" Steven said as he looked at her in surprise. Amethyst, much to their horror, took a bite from the moldy burrito, sending shivers down Steven's back. Pearl stared at Amethyst in horrid shock, while Pink looked at Amethyst in disappointment.

Steven looked off to the side and saw a large painting resting against a pile of junk. His interest peaked and he asked, "What's this? It kinda looks like you guys and mom." 

Pearl smiled and looked at the painting fondly, "Aww Steven, that is us." She picked it up and looked down at it happily. 

"The hard part was getting the shark to pose." Garnet commented, making Pink smile. 

"Yeah, those sailors were horrified by it! Tommy was always scared of them the most." She said with reminiscent eyes. 

"Why do you guys look like old-timey people?" Steven asked as he pointed at the painting.

All of the gems in the picture were dressed like people from the 18th Century. Pearl had curled bangs, Amethyst had shorter hair and was dressed like a sea captain, Pink wore a white puffy blouse and a pink tailcoat, Garnet wore a pirate-like captain outfit, and Rose wore a white faded shirt and a scarf around her neck.

"They are old timey people." Pearl said while hanging the painting up onto a trash pile. 

"Wait a minute, that would mean... How old are you guys?" Steven asked as he looked up at the gems in wonder. 

"Much older than any human!" Pearl said as she stretched her arms out. 

"Wow! Does that mean you'll live forever?!" Steven asked in excitement, his fists clenched on anticipation. 

"No, no. We don't age, but we can still get hurt and die." This answer made Steven frown deeply, looking sad and disappointed. Suddenly, Amethyst moaned in pain and dropped to her knees. 

Pearl, upon seeing Steven's mortified expression, quickly explained, "But not from food poisoning."

Steven sighed, letting his worries go, "I just can't believe you guys are, like, a bazillion years old! How do you get a cake that big for all of those candles?" 

"We don't really celebrate birthdays." Garnet said as she glanced at Pearl. 

"What! Why not?" Steven said loudly in shock, putting his hands on the sides of his face.

"It's just not custom for us gems, Steven." Pink explained, shrugging her shoulders. 

"Well, I can't let this travesty of un-justice go by! I pledge that you will have your birthdays, with all the candy, cake, and ice cream you've been denied!" Steven said while pointing into the air with one finger. 

The gems looked between each other, minus Amethyst, who was throwing up on the floor.

* * *

"And the birthday queen is... Amethyst!" Steven said as he put a red crown, with a heart and a candle on it, on top of Amethyst's head, accompanying the cape around her shoulders. 

Amethyst sat on a white throne in front of Pearl, Pink, and Garnet. Pearl had a small balloon with a face in her hands, and Pink held a plate with a piece of cake on it. 

"I hope you like it! My dad made it for me, and it brings me special birthday luck every year." Steven said happily as Amethyst checked the cape on her back out. 

Steven took out a colored microphone and backed away with a smile. 

_ "It might as well be your birthday~ _

_ So why don't we have a party?~ _

_ Even if your age isn't real~ _

_ And your body's an allusion!~" _

He sang, noticing Lion was playing around with a party hat. "No Lion. You wear it, like this!"

Steven took the hat and put it on top of Lion's head, which made the feline begin pawing at it. "Lion, you're killin' me."

"Um… Steven? I know you put a lot of effort… putting faces on things. But could it be that we're just a tad mature for this ritual?" Pearl said as she held up the balloon in her hands. 

"I don't know about that, Pearl. I really like all this stuff." Pink said as she took a bite of cake. 

Pearl rolled her eyes, "Of course you would say that." She said with disdain, before sighing and looking up. To her surprise, Amethyst was in her face, wearing three party hats, one on her nose to look like Pearl.

"Boop." Amethyst moved her head forward, the party hat and Pearl's nose touching. Pearl angrily gasped as Amethyst ran away. 

"Take that off this instant!" Pearl yelled as she chased after her. Steven noticed this and panicked, before grabbing a baseball bat with a ribbon on it. 

He ran up to Amethyst and held it out to her, "Wait! Here." Amethyst took the bat with a smile.

"Aww, thanks! I'll use it all the time!" She said as she swung it back, ready to hit Pearl with it. 

"No!" Steven stopped her, "It's for the piñata." He ran off and came back holding a piñata with a stick. 

"The piñata is an artifact from ancient Aqua-Mexico." Steven explained, before Amethyst nearly took his head off with the baseball bat. 

Steven ran away as Amethyst chased him, a blindfold over her eyes. Steven handed the piñata to Garnet, and then cowered behind one of her legs. 

"Am I… getting… close?" Amethyst asked as she began hitting Garnet in the head. 

"Higher." Garnet said, the baseball bat striking her head again. Amethyst lifted her blindfold slightly and hit the piñata while jumping up. The piñata flew away into the ocean, landing with a loud splash. 

"Ha! What's next Steven?" Amethyst asked as she tossed the bat aside. Steven frowned, "Well, you were supposed to get candy when you broke it open." 

"Wait, you had candy and you didn't just give it to us?" Amethyst said as she gasped in sadness. 

"No worries, there will be more sweet treats at Pearl's party!" Steven said as he reassured her. 

* * *

"Happy birthday Pearl! Honk!" Steven said, dressed as a clown. He honked his clown nose while Pearl readjusted the crown on her head. 

Steven and the gems, including Lion, were all on a hill overlooking Beach City. The gems sat on a large picnic mat, cupcakes sitting in front of them. 

"Steven! That is a brave look." Amethyst said as she narrowed her eyes at Steven. 

"I think it fits him." Pink said, smiling at the rainbow wig that looked eerily similar to her own hair.

"No, it's supposed to be funny!" Steven said, gaining a confused look from Pearl. 

"How?" She asked, making Steven falter. 

He tried to think of an explanation, but instead panicked, "Oh jeez, I'm breaking character." 

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a large stack of bent paper. "Here, I wrote some jokes for you."

He quickly read one and smiled, "Why did Pearl throw butter out the window?" 

Amethyst looked confused, "Why would she do that?" 

"To see a butter- _ fly _ !" Steven said jokingly while laughing. 

"I didn't do that. Steven… are you telling lies?" Pearl asked as she looked at Steven sadly. 

"N-no! Oh, I know! Pearl, do you like pie?" Steven asked with a smile. 

"I do like pie." Pearl said with a nod, smiling. Steven walked over to a picnic basket and pulled out a pie from it. 

"Well, you're in luck! I baked you a pie!" Steven said, beginning to walk over to Pearl, "I sure hope nothing happens to it." 

As he was walking, his left foot tripped as he smiled. "Oh no-"

"Steven! I got you!" Pearl said as she caught him before he could hit the ground. "You need to be careful, you could've landed on the-"

Steven slammed the pie into his face, making Pearl jump back in surprise. 

"See Pearl? It's funny!" Steven said while laughing, whip cream falling down from his face. Pearl whispered something to Pink, which made the gem frown. 

"Steven, Pearl says she's all partied out. How about we do something different?" Pink said, making Steven falter. 

"Um… this isn't going at all like it should," Steven said as he threw away the pie tin and took off his clown wig. "I need to throw the ultimate birthday!" 

* * *

"Okay, there is no way you aren't gonna love this!" Steven said excitedly as he pointed at three small kiddie cars. He and the gems were all situated in a small lot, the sky above them a dark grey. 

"It's kazoo racers! You get in a car, you play a kazoo, what more could you want?!" Steven said before blowing into a kazoo. "My dad used to do this for me every year." 

"I think this is why aging makes humans die!" Pearl whispered to Garnet, looking at Steven anxiously. 

"Steven, thank you for the birthday parties, but I don't think we'll need any more." Garnet said as she approached Steven. 

"Why not?" Steven asked as he felt his spirits dampen. Why isn't this going like he planned? 

"Because our age isn't significant to us, and these rituals seem to be more adapted to children." Garnet explained as Pearl stepped up. 

"Not that we're against children!" Pearl said, raising a finger. 

Steven felt embarrassment rise up before he shook his head, "Nonsense, everyone gets to have birthdays! Seriously, give it a try."

"Steven, we're just… not suited for this thing. Well, I think Amethyst is." Pink said, pointing over to Amethyst shapeshifted as a baby, driving around in one of the kiddie cars. 

Steven looked at the ground as his mouth hung open slightly. "I'm… I need to go think." With that, Steven turned and slowly walked away from the gems, who were watching him in confusion. 

* * *

The sky darkened to a light grey as a fog bank rolled in over the town. Steven walked down the boardwalk with his hands in his pockets. 

"What… what if I'm too old for this?" Steven asked himself as a painful resolution hit his stomach. 

"Birthdays meant leaving this stuff behind. Have I been acting like a child when I should be leaving everything behind?" 

As the fog deepened, Steven's body glowed a bright light and began growing. When the fog lessened, Steven stood nearly two feet taller. His hair remained unchanged, but he had a longer neck and a slightly slimmer body. 

"I can't just spend all my time playing childish games anymore. I need to start thinking about what I want to do with my life." 

His body began glowing again, and left him much taller, with a disheveled stubble and a receding hairline. 

"I need to find myself a job, and get professional," He said with a much deeper voice, looking over to the right. "This place will do." 

He walked over to a t-shirt shop and stepped in. The front counter had no one at it, so he decided to begin looking around. 

He stopped at one shirt and nodded, "Yep, this one'll do." 

Steven stepped out with a new shirt, with the words 'Professional Beach hunk' on it. "Ha, now this is more like it!" 

He walked down the boardwalk and saw the Big Donut, making him grin, "I need a pick-me-up!"

His body glowed again as he walked up to the front door and swung it open. He walked up to the counter as Lars and Sadie were restocking. 

"Two of the usual please." He said as he hung two fingers up, "I've had quite the day."

Lars turned to him and leaned against the counter, "You must be confused pal. I work here almost every day and I've never seen your mug before." 

"Oh hardy har Lars. Y'know, I used to make jokes, but I've had a lot of time to think today. And sometimes, you just have to smarten up, act like an adult. Cause one day, if you don't, everyone you know is gonna grow up without you, and you won't have little Steven to pick on because I'll be a grown up to!"

Lars and Sadie stared at the man before Sadie placed a hand on Lars' chest, "Steven who?"

Steven's eyes widened before he angrily yelled, "Steven Quartz Universe! And I want that donut! Right there!" He pointed to a donut in a glass case before jumping back with a yell. 

Sadie reached a hand out to him, "Sir, are you okay?" Steven moved away from her.

"What happened to me! I'm old!" 

"And nuts, too." Lars said, but was ignored by Steven, who was beginning to cry.

"I'm gonna have to eat fiber cereal all the time, and my teeth are gonna start falling out. I'll have to eat oatmeal!" He said as his body glowed a pink-ish hue, and his hair became longer. 

He began walking over to a table while crying, "It'll have to be sugar-free! Sugar-free!" He sat down while putting his head in his hands. 

He raised his head as a realization came, "I need to reverse this. I need… a reverse birthday!" He turned his head to Sadie and Lars, "Will you help change into my birthday suit?"

Sadie gasped in surprise as Lars snorted.

* * *

"That's right! You better run!" Sadie yelled while holding up a barstool. Steven ran away from the Big Donut, screaming. 

He soon began running on sand, and his back began aching painfully. A crack rang out and slowed him down. 

"I'm getting too old… for this." He wheezed as he glowed again, gaining a scruffy beard and white hair. His legs gave out and caused him to fall onto the sand. 

Lifting his head up, he saw Lion standing above him, making him wheeze. "Lion… help me." 

The pink feline grabbed Steven with his teeth and began running down the beach. The gems came into view, picking up leftover balloons and folding up tables. 

Lion dropped Steven on the ground, making a loud thud. The gems gasped as they saw Steven. 

"Steven! What's wrong with him?!" Pearl said in surprise, covering her mouth. The others gathered around Steven, Amethyst holding him up. 

"He's okay! Just really,  _ really _ old!" She said as Steven looked up. 

"My birthday suit might help." He said as he held up a hand. Garnet, who was wearing it, quickly took it off and put it on him. 

"Thanks guys… but I think this suit is all out of birthday magic." Steven said as he sat up and chuckled sadly, his hair and beard growing more white and scraggly. 

The gems stared at him in horror, Pearl mumbling something incoherent while tears ran down her cheeks. 

"More birthdays." Garnet said before grabbing Amethyst's and Pink's shoulders. "We need more birthdays." 

Amethyst quickly turned into a kiddie car, with Garnet sitting on her. "Look Steven! I'm a tiny car!" 

The two stopped and looked to Steven, who frowned and became older, "Kids… stuff." 

Garnet got off of Amethyst and stood back as the purple gem turned into a piñata. "Look! It's piñata time!" 

When he didn't react again, Pink stepped up and created pink bubbles on the palms of her hands. She threw them up and began juggling.

"Look, I'm juggling! Isn't that funny?" She said with a struggling fake smile. Again, no reaction. 

The three joined each other and looked at Steven in horror. Amethyst clenched her hands in growing frustration before whipping her head to Pearl. 

"Pearl! Get over here!" She yelled as she ran to the pale gem. 

"I can't!"

"For Steven!" Amethyst said angrily as she came running back, planting Pearl down in front of Steven. The gem was now dressed in the same clown outfit from earlier, and was holding a pie in her hands. 

"O-Oh look… it appears that I have a p-pie. I sure hope nothing h-happens to..." Pearl said slowly, barely holding back tears and shaking violently. 

"Oh Steven!" She yelled as she couldn't hold them back anymore, slamming the pie into her face while sobbing. 

"Are you trying to kill him faster!?" Amethyst yelled at Pearl, who looked at her with a hopeless frown. Pearl dropped the pie and tackled Amethyst with a hug, wailing into her shoulder.

"Pearl!" Amethyst yelled before getting the pale gem off of her. She turned to Pink and grabbed her arm. 

"Use your tears or something! Fix him!" She said, beating a fist into her side. The pink gem looked down at her with a distressed frown, before taking back her arm and approaching Steven. 

She knelt on the ground, body shaking, and took a hold of Steven. She held him up while tears began falling from her face. They landed on Steven, and he slowly opened his eyes fully. He lifted up a hand much quicker than before, and his breathing seemed to stabilize. 

As hope came back, he quickly aged again, making him wheeze and breathe with difficulty.

His vision slowly faded as he saw the gems begin panicking. Pearl was sobbing uncontrollably while Garnet held her visor, before tears ran down from under it. 

Amethyst began yelling at Garnet to do something, being joined by Pearl, who looked even more despondent. Pink soon joined them, directing her own yelling to Amethyst and Pearl alike. 

He felt his anger stir inside him, and he gained enough strength to stand up. "Can you guys just… get a hold of yourselves?" 

He said as he placed his hands on his hips. The gems gasped at him before Pearl took a step forward. 

He noticed their reactions and raised his hands, growing younger, "Oh… I'm sorry I yelled, but I just… can't stand to see you freaking out like this!"

He grew older, making the gems eyes widen. 

"Steven, you're changing." Garnet said as she stepped up with closed fists. 

"I think your gem's reacting to your state of mind." Pearl said as she raised her hands. 

"Dude, stop feeling old!" Amethyst yelled as Steven grew younger again. 

"But I wasted your time," He said, before growing extremely old, "We all have such little time." 

"Steven!" They cried, before Pearl spoke up. 

"Steven, you have to feel like yourself! Sweet, and considerate, and only a little obnoxious." 

Steven smiled as he grew younger again, "You really think I'm all those things?"

"Yes!" 

"Why else would you throw us those parties?" 

"You're right," He said while smiling, returning to his original age. "I am pretty great." 

"Steven!" The gems cried as they ran over and hugged him. He laughed as the gems pulled away from him. 

"Steven, I'm so sorry… if we had known this would've happened, we could've prevented it." Pearl said, Garnet nodding in agreement. 

"We didn't want to make you feel like you had to be older." Pink said, wiping a tear from her eye. 

"I'm sorry, guys. I guess I just need to mature a little bit." Steven said as he shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his hands. 

"No worries bud, we can still do all that stuff when it's your birthday." Amethyst said as she patted his shoulder reassuringly. 

"Dibs on being the clown!" Pink said as she raised a hand in the air. 

"And I'll set up the tables, and we'll need to get more balloons." Pearl said as she placed a finger to her chin. 

Steven chuckled at them and smiled brightly…

' _ Yeah, that sounds nice.'  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations, you made it to the end notes!
> 
> I took the liberty of getting rid of typical teenager Steven and replacing him with future Steven, because you're welcome.
> 
> If you have any criticism, or anything to say about the fic, please leave a comment!
> 
> Head cannon voice for old Steven:  
> (Danny DeVito)


	7. Shields Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven doesn't know how to approach a girl, and unlocks a new ability.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Yeah, I'll take 'Writer's block' excuse for 500."
> 
> Christ, here ya' go, my least favorite chapter to write. Tell me how it turned out.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you do enjoy it!

# Shields Up

Steven looked up at the ocean blue sky with a smile. In his hands was a red bicycle helmet, which he soon put on his head. 

The sound of the screen door opening made him look up to the beach house. Pink walked out of the house while carrying a blue bike. She walked down from the porch and eventually reached Steven. 

"Here ya' go, Steven. Took me a while, but I found your bike in one of Amethyst's trash piles." Pink said as she set the bike down on the sand. 

"Thanks! I haven't been able to find this thing for months." Steven said happily as he grabbed the handlebars. 

"No problem, but… are you gonna ride that here?" Pink asked as she pointed at the bike. Steven looked at her in confusion, "Yeah… why?" 

"In the sand?" She looked around the beach, putting her hands on her hips, before looking back at him questioningly.

"Yeah, it gets your legs pumping!" Steven said before trying to get on the bike, "Like this!"

His attempt nearly failed as he accidentally caught his foot on the edge of the bike. He nearly tripped, but luckily balanced himself out. 

"See?" He said as he met eyes with Pink, who was looking at him with a hesitant smile.

She sighed and began backing away, "Alright, I'll see you later Steven. If you need anything, just tell me." 

"Okay!" Steven replied as he looked back at her. He began pedaling the bike… and went a whopping two inches forward. After wrestling with the pedals, he gained momentum and continued down the beach. 

A girl eventually came into view, and Steven stopped a few feet away, in front of her. He stepped off and gave her a quick glance. 

"Wow… This is a nice bike. Five speeds, electric blue finish." He said, running a hand across the bike's frame. Sparing a glance at the girl, he looked back at the bike, "It even has a tiger bell."

Ringing the bell, he looked back at the girl with a hopeful smile. She didn't look at him at all, but instead stayed focused on a book in her lap. 

Steven heaved himself up on the bike, "I'm sure a lot of kids would want something-" And promptly fell off and landed on top of it. 

This actually caught the girl's attention, as she looked up upon hearing him fall. Steven bit on his lip as he pushed himself up, his knee burning like fire. 

Looking up, he met eyes with the girl. He looked down at his bike before screaming and running away. 

* * *

He closed the front door behind him with a slam. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and his knee hurt tremendously. With a groan, he looked to the kitchen to see Garnet and Pink talking, with a small terrarium sitting between them. 

"I think we need to move that moss. After what happened with Steven, I doubt we want to keep it at that pond." Pink said as she tapped the terrarium with a bored frown, "What do you think, Garnet?"

The red and black gem nodded before pointing a thumb at the front door. Pink turned her head curiously and saw Steven. 

"Oh! Hey Steven!" She said with a smile before picking up the terrarium and walking over to him excitedly. "Look at what Garnet just got!"

She held out the terrarium, and Steven looked inside, seeing two beetles with gems in them. 

"What are these guys? They look so small." Steven said as he tapped the glass, causing the brown and green-ish beetles to turn and face him. 

"These are the Earth and Heaven beetles! They lived in tiny houses!" Pink explained with a bubbly smile. 

"That's cool! But… ugh, I gotta get something." Steven said, hastily walking past her to the fridge. 

"Oh? What is it?" Pink asked, raising an eyebrow. Steven opened the freezer and pushed past a few cookie cats. He smirked when he found what he was looking for, a glowing red bracelet. 

"It's just something I got a while back. It's… for a girl. We haven't talked." Steven said as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the ground. 

"Oh! Steven, how generous!" Pink said as she clasped her hands together. Steven chuckled nervously before shrugging, "Yeah… I just don't know how to talk to her. What if I mess up, and she thinks I'm weird?" 

"Then ask Garnet. I'm sure she'll help you, right?" Pink turned her head to Garnet, who nodded in return. 

"Just talk to her Steven, don't worry. Just try to get her attention _your_ way." Garnet said as she lowered her visor, giving him a wink. 

"Alright… alright!" Steven exclaimed as he gathered up courage. "I got this! Thanks Garnet! Thanks Pink!" He said before running out of the house, leaving the two gems alone.

* * *

"Hi, my name is Steven. Hi, my name's Steven!" 

Steven walked down the beach with a pep in his step, while he practiced his greeting. With his newfound courage, he was ready to greet the girl on the beach. 

She came into view as he walked past a large boulder stuck halfway in the beach. _'Alright, let's do this.'_ He thought as he glanced down at the bracelet in his hand. Tucking it back in his pocket, he focused back on his greeting.

As he approached her, the ground underneath him began shaking violently. He yelped as he began losing his footing. The girl was equally shocked by the tremors, falling on her back after trying to stand up. 

The tremor stopped, but a new threat appeared. Cracks began riding up the cliffside next to the two, heading up to a piece of the temple's curly hair. The old carved rock began splitting, losing its support, and falling off. Steven saw the speeding rock and looked down at the girl in horror. 

"Hey! Watch out!" He called as he jumped forward, his arms stretched out towards the girl. Horrifyingly, he was too far to reach her, and his blood felt like ice as he fell flat on his face in the sand. 

With his arms still outstretched to her, he nearly cried as he felt reality set in. He heard a sickening crack of rock, causing his eyes to widen as he lifted his head up. But what he saw made him gasp. 

The girl had a pink shield hovering over her, and large pieces of boulder were resting on top of it. A huge crack ran between the middle of the shield, mangling it nearly into two. 

The girl quickly jumped from beneath and looked up at it, flinching when the shield broke and sent the pieces of boulder falling into the sand. 

Steven felt twice as heavy, and his body began aching slightly. Still, he willed his arms to push him up to his feet. He made his way to the girl tiredly. 

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked her as he reached out with a hand. The girl looked at him with wide eyes and nodded, taking his hand. "Yeah, I'm alright." 

He pulled her up and looked at the large chunks of boulder next to them. "Woah… that was really close." He said, chuckling nervously before turning his head to her. 

"Good thing I saved you." He said as he smiled at her, bits of his curled hair sticking to his forehead. "I'm Steven!" 

"Connie." The girl said as she looked at him with a half-hearted smile. It fell quickly though, as she looked at the rocks that nearly crushed her. That fact made her tense up, but…

She noticed a small glint of pink in the sand, wedged under a large rock. She bent down near it and pulled quickly, yanking it out. The glint came from a piece of the pink shield, a dark pink symbol in the corner of it. 

Steven leaned in to stare at it in awe, Connie doing the same. "What is it? Did you… do this?" Connie asked as she looked at Steven. 

The boy's mouth widened to a smile as he smiled, "Yeah!" 

Connie looked at him with excited curiosity, "How did you make that shield?" 

"I'm half magic, from my mom's side!" Steven said, muttering the last part, "I live with the gems. The gems are my aunts, sorta. But we fight evil monsters and save Earth!" 

"Wait a minute, gems? Are you talking about those aliens?" Connie asked as she brought up the shield piece close to her. 

"Yeah! I don't know about aliens, but we're more like magic warriors or something." Steven said as he rubbed the side of his head with a finger. 

"Can you show me them?" Connie asked as her eyes gleamed like stars.

"Sure! You can come to my house, that's where they stay, most of the time." Steven said, looking off down the beach. 

"Alright, that sounds good." Connie said as she dropped the shield piece and picked up her discarded book off the ground. 

"Yes! Let's go!" Steven said excitedly as he grabbed her hand and began running down the beach. Connie yelped and began running, keeping up with him so she wouldn't trip on the sand. Steven slowed down as he began panting, but still kept going with his hand gripped onto Connie's. 

After walking past a large boulder, Connie looked up and felt her breath leave her lungs. A large statue overlooked nearly everything, with outstretched arms over the beach. The two kept going along the beach, until a beach house came into view, with a hill leading up to it's stairs. 

Once they made it to the porch of the house, Steven let go of Connie and spread his arms out, "This is my house! It's not much, but it's really good." 

"So, you live under this big statue?" Connie asked as she looked at the face of the sculpted cliffside. "It looks similar to one I saw in third grade." 

"Yep!" Steven said, placing his hands on his hips. Connie seemed to be fixated on the statue, so Steven opened the front door and motioned his hand to her. 

"C'mon, it's cooler inside!" Connie obliged and stepped in, looking around with curiosity. It was quite unique, with it having no walls separating the different rooms. The house was connected with a crystal-filled cave, with a strange pad in the middle. Her eyes set on the otherworldly blue door at the back of the cave, with four gems sitting in a star formation. 

"Welcome to my magical home!" Steven said as he threw an arm out and pointed around the house with his hand. "It's not much, but it's pretty nifty. What do you think?" He asked, looking at her with a hopeful smile. 

"It looks… pretty cool. What's the cave area for? Is it gem related?" Connie asked, pointing towards the tall door. 

"Yeah, that's where most of the gems stay. They usually stay in there for days, except for one." Steven said, walking over to the living room. "Anyway, here's the living room. It's gotta couch, a table… uhh," He put a finger and thumb on his chin as he looked around. 

"There's not much to say about it, besides the fact it's a living room." He walked over and went up the stairs. Now standing on the second floor, he pointed back at a wide bed, "This is my bedroom up here. I got a lot of games that I like to play, like Golf Quest Mini!"

Connie walked up and looked around the bedroom. It seemed to actually be the entire second floor, and had two large windows on its left side. 

"Hmm, so… do you like reading?" Connie asked as she pointed over to a stack of books next to the television. 

"Oh, those are study books," Steven said with a frown, "Pearl makes me read them, and they're so boring I nearly fall asleep." 

"What about action books? Like Dog Copter?" Connie asked, making Steven raise an eyebrow. 

"Dog Copter? What's that about?" Connie sat down at the end of Steven's bed, soon joined by him. She set her book aside and placed a finger to her chin.

"Dog Copter is about a dog, that's also a helicopter, and he saves the world. It's surprisingly mature for its concept." 

"That sounds rad! Tell me more!" Steven said while excitedly smiling. Connie blushed and continued, "Well, it starts in 2020. The world is in chaos..."

Connie began explaining the plot, but amidst her explanation Steven noticed an ever-growing scratching noise. ' _What is that? I haven't seen Lion in day's… maybe it's him?'_

"Steven? Are you listening?" Connie asked after seeing Steven's worried look. She got no response from him, but began hearing loud scratching. 

"Do you hear th-" A few pieces of floorboard suddenly began melting away by a green goo. Connie and Steven stared at it in confused shock. A creature climbed up from underneath the newly created hole. It had a centipede-like body, with green crystals trailing its back. 

It made strange growling noises and began running around. A few more just like it began climbing in as well. 

"What are those things?!" Connie asked, fearfully getting up and backing away. Steven stood up and looked down at the centipedes. 

"Um… it's fine! I have an idea!" He walked over to a nightstand next to his bed and opened it quickly. He rummaged around before going, "Aha!" And holding up a blue whistle. 

He held it to his lips and blew into it. Connie looked at him with confusion, before hearing a loud whistle coming from the warp pad. Seconds later, the large temple door opened up and out walked a slender lady with light peach hair in a pixie cut. 

"Steven? Did you fall asleep again with th-Oh my stars!" She stepped back at the sight of all the monsters, and reached towards an oval-shaped gem on her forehead. It glowed bright white, and a handle appeared from it. Taking it in her hand, she pulled out a long spear and aimed it at the creatures. 

"Pearl! Help us!" Steven yelled to the gem as Connie came to his side. Pearl threw her spear into one of the centipedes, and the force of the throw sent it flying into another one. 

The temple door opened again, and out walked a shot purple gem and a tall maroon-colored gem. "Yo' Steven, we heard the whistle, what's-Oh crap!" 

Amethyst stopped herself as she saw the monsters, and summoned her whip. Garnet did the same, and summoned her gauntlets. As the trio attacked the centipedes, Steven and Connie ran to the other side of the bedroom, getting away from the stairs. 

Two centipedes climbed up the stairs and began trashing Steven's bedroom. "Hey! That's an exclusive!" Steven yelled in annoyance as a centipede bit down on a toy of a samurai. 

After hearing his yell, the centipede dropped it and growled at him. The other centipede joined its side and began approaching him. 

"Steven! Do something!" Connie said in a panic, as the centipedes began drooling green acid. As they came closer, a whip wrapped around one and dragged it off to the side. The warp chimed, and the centipede looked off to the side and jumped down. 

The centipedes were soon dealt with, with one or two jumping down the hole and disappearing. The house was a mess, with pillows thrown about and acid-made holes on the floor. 

Steven and Connie stepped up and looked around, seeing the gems stand in the middle of the house, talking. 

"How in the world did they get here? And where's Steven?" A pink gem asked, looking around with her arms crossed. 

"Up here!" Steven said, walking to the stairs with Connie behind him. The gems watched him and the new stranger walk down the stairs and approach them. 

"Steven, who's this girl?" Pearl asked what they all were thinking as she pointed at Connie. 

"This is Connie! Connie, these are the gems. This one's Pearl, that one's Amethyst. That is Garnet, and that's Pink Diamond." He explained, pointing at each respective gem. 

"Aw Steven, is that your girlfriend?" Amethyst chided as she snickered mischievously, crossing her arms. 

"Amethyst, don't embarrass him in front of his new friend," Pink said as she looked at the purple quartz disapprovingly. 

Steven blushed red and covered his face with his arm, as Connie looked at them in wonder. 

"So you guys are gems? I've read a lot about your culture! Is it true that you get energy from the sun?" She popped off questions with stars in her eyes, and the gems looked at each other. 

"Well Connie, I'm surprised you know so much about us. But, I'm afraid it's too dangerous for you to stay here." Pearl said, putting an arm behind her back and raising a finger. 

"What!?" Steven blurted out, "But, she's just gotten here, and we haven't barely talked!" 

"Steven, I'm sorry to say this, but Pearl has a point." Pink said, wincing at Steven's hurt expression.

"I suggest you and Connie go somewhere else for the meantime. We have to deal with these… things." Pearl said as she looked down at a nearby hole, seeing a centipede peaking through. 

"I… o-okay. C'mon, let's go outside." Steven said, turning his head to Connie with a frown. 

"Alright, um… bye." She waved to the gems before she and Steven walked out of the house. Steven was strangely quiet as they walked down to the beach. 

"Steven? Are you alright?" She asked him as he looked down to the ground. 

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just… they never let me do cool stuff." 

"But I thought you said they let you go on missions?" 

"Yeah, but they don't really let me do anything sometimes! The only cool thing they let me do was hold a statue that I somehow forgot to bring on the mission!" He frustratedly brought his hands up and threw them back above his head. 

"It's not fair! I'm half gem, doesn't that mean I should be able to do gem stuff?" He calmed down a bit as he huffed. 

"I'm sure they just care about you. My parents do the same, my mom especially." Connie explained, "They worry about me a lot, and, I don't know. I would guess going to gem places are more dangerous than going to tennis practice."

"I… guess you're right. But I'm half gem! I'm different, y'know?" Steven said before sighing, "They think I'm stupid, but I'm not." 

Before Connie could respond, the ground shook again, the tremors seemingly returning. A shrieking roar rang out across the beach, and a dark shadow hung over them. 

The pair turned slowly and looked up, before terror took over them. A humongous centipede was overlooking the beach, standing on the cliff. Its milky white mane blocked out the sky behind it, and its eye had a green gem in its place. 

"Run!" Steven yelled before grabbing her hand and running down to a large fallen hand from the temple. They hid behind it as the monster crawled down the cliff and rushed towards them. 

The gems ran out the house and saw the giant centipede running down the beach. Summoning their weapons, they ran down the beach to face it. 

The monster turned its head and roared at them, before spraying a large blast of acid at them. They dodged out of the way, and ran towards it. The monster raised its head to the sky and opened its jaws wide. Before they could react, it began spinning and spraying acid everywhere. 

The beach was carpeted by acid, and Steven and Connie cowered behind the hand. Steven looked over to Connie and saw her shaking. The acid stopped falling, and the pair looked around in confusion. 

Steven stood up and peaked through a gap between the fingers, and gasped. He fell down quickly as a large spray of acid began shooting at them. The hand began melting, and Connie felt tears pick at her eyes. 

Steven looked at the melting hand and panicked, "Connie, we have to move!" 

The girl didn't respond, but instead let out a sob. Steven frowned before he realized that she was about to be hit by acid. He ran up and felt a burning from his gem, before a large pink shield covered the pair. 

The acid broke through the hand, and began spraying the shield. Steven struggled to hold the shield up, and felt his strength dwindling. 

"C-Connie… I… I'm sorry! I didn't know any of this would happen!" He said as the gems wrestled with the pincer end of the monster. 

After no response, Steven continued, "I… really wanted to be friends. If you hate me, I understand… but," Using his free hand, he reached into his pocket and took out a red glowing bracelet. Connie glanced up and saw the bracelet, wiping away her tears, "Is that…" 

"I saw you at the boardwalk parade, and you dropped this. I tried to find you, but I couldn't, so I put it in the freezer." He explained, Connie taking it into her hands. 

She looked down at it with glazed eyes, before looking up to him. He winced as his legs nearly gave out, "We're gonna be okay, I promise. Friends?" 

Connie wiped her eyes again and nodded with a weak smile, "Friends."

Steven felt his chest burn, and he looked back at the monster with a newly found confident smile. Pushing against the shield, Steven groaned as he felt his foot slide in the sand. 

The gems saw the shield, and quickly began flanking around the pincer tail. The monster stopped spraying acid and turned its attention to the gems. 

Amethyst's whip flew and wrapped around the monster's jaw, sealing it shut. It swung its body around and tried to hit them with its pincer, but Garnet caught it with her gauntlets. 

Pearl ran in and cut a few of its legs on the front right, Pink doing the same on the other side with her sword. 

Steven helped Connie to her feet, and he saw an opening, "I have an idea! Grab the edge of the shield!" She did what he said, with him grabbing the other end. 

"We throw on three! One! Five! Three!" The pair threw their arms back and tossed the shield towards the monster. The shield soared through the air and chopped the monster in two, screeching out before exploding into a green cloud. 

The cloud dissipated and a green gem landed onto the sand. Garnet walked up to the gems and bubbled it away, sending it off to the temple. 

"Wow… that. Was… Incredible!" Connie screamed out, even though she had tear stains on the sides of her cheeks. 

Steven laughed and cheered, "Yeah! That was awesome!" But what was not awesome was how tired his body was. 

"I mean, that was terrifying! I thought we were gonna die! But then we threw that shield and cut it in half!" Connie rambled on while smiling. Her mood was completely changed. 

"Steven!" The gems called out as they approached the duo. 

"Hey guys! Did you see me and Connie do that! It was amazing!" Steven laughed as they stopped next to them. 

"Steven, are you okay?! Did it hurt you?" Pearl asked as she checked him, moving him around by the shoulders. 

"Naw, I'm okay. So is Connie." He said as Pearl let him go and stepped back.

"Steven, I'm just gonna say, that was really cool." Amethyst complimented as she gave a thumbs up. Garnet did the same, and gave him a small smile. 

"Good job Steven! I'm surprised by how much you can do already!" Pink said as she walked up and ruffled his hair. 

"Thanks guys! Connie helped me, so I would thank her." He said as he smiled at Connie, who was watching them. 

"I-I don't know. I was freaking out too much." She said while rubbing her arm. 

"Wait! If the monsters are gone, then does that mean we can hang out at the house now!?" Steven asked as he turned his head to the gems. 

"I… guess so." Pearl muttered as she looked at Garnet and Pink. 

"Awesome! Connie, I have to show you Lonely Blade! It's awesome!" Steven said as he grabbed her hand and ran off to the beach house. 

Connie laughed as she ran behind him, "Alright!" 

As the two ran off, the sun began setting under the horizon, and sent a red haze across the entire sky. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fact that I started the first half in May, and the next half in June really shows. 
> 
> If you have any criticism, please leave it in the comments! I would love to hear about how you feel about the fic!
> 
> Next chapter: Hologram Hauntings


	8. Hologram Hauntings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After watching a movie, Steven becomes interested in sword-fighting, but it ends in disaster when Pearl poofs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprised it didn't take me a month to make this chapter, let alone a year. 
> 
> I had fun writing this, so I hope you have fun reading this!

# Hologram Hauntings

  
  


The wind howled outside as a storm swept through Beach City. Rain fell against windows, and a certain pink lion was sleeping under a beach house peacefully. 

Steven and the gems sat at the foot of his bed watching a movie named, 'Lonely Blade IV'. Steven watched from the top of Pink's curly afro. Amethyst was watching upside down from the side of the bed, and Pearl sat on the opposite end with her knees held near her chest. Garnet sat next to Amethyst on the floor, her hand resting on one of her knees, while the other propped up her head. Between all of them was a large bowl of popcorn, filled to the brim. 

"Oh Lonely Blade, you so lonely." Steven muttered as Lonely Blade faced off against a man in a janitor suit. The man revealed himself as the President of the Shadow Samurai Government, and Steven gasped in shock. 

"What!? The janitor is the evil samurai president?!" He said as he raised himself upright, "That's bananas." He fell back down on Pink's afro in awe. 

"Oh come on, it was so obvious," Pearl said before pointing her hand at the television, "He's been mopping in the background of every fight scene." 

Pearl grabbed the case of the movie and held it up to Steven, "Here he is on the cover of the box." 

"Oh yeah." Steven muttered before returning his attention to the movie. Lonely Blade pulled out two katanas and put their hilts together, shouting 'Boomerang Blade' and throwing it at the villain. 

As the character's fought, Pearl felt anger bubble up in her chest. ' _They aren't even fighting properly, this is ridiculous!'_

"Oh c'mon, look at their forms! This is nothing like real sword fighting." She muttered, before being shushed by everyone. 

"It's just for entertainment. Don't think too hard on it." Pink whispered to the pale gem, grabbing a handful of popcorn. 

"Yeah, calm down Pearl!" Steven laughed as he reached down and took some popcorn, then shoved it into his mouth. 

"Well, if you ever want to see a demonstration of proper sword techniques, I'd be happy to show you." She said, and was met by a hand gently laying on her forehead. Looking up, she was met with Steven's star-filled eyes. 

"Now?" She asked, gaining a small but excited nod in response. 

* * *

Now sitting at a wide arena, Steven watched as Pearl took out two swords from her head. Next to him sat Garnet, Pink, and Amethyst. 

"Alright, for this proper demonstration, I'm going to need a sparring partner." Pearl said as she stepped up to the middle of the arena. Steven slowly raised his hand, but was pushed down by Garnet. 

"I'll do it!" Pink shouted as she raised a hand, making Pearl falter and frown. "C'mon, let's fight!"

Pearl glanced over to her and glowered slightly, "Well then, come here and we'll spar, if you're _that_ determined."

"Good luck Pinky-D." Amethyst said jokingly as she laid on her back. Now in the middle of the arena, Pearl and Pink faced each other, and Pearl tossed one of her swords to Pink. 

"We haven't sparred in a while, Pearl. Think you lost your touch?" Pink said in jest as she pointed the sword at Pearl, cracking a smirk. 

"We shall let our swords decide." Pearl said as she narrowed her eyes and lowered her body, raising her sword. 

Pink raised the sword and smirked, looking Pearl up and down as she positioned herself. The gem across from her just glared, ready to strike at any moment. Then she did. 

Pearl exploded across the arena and her blade collided with Pink's. Steven's eyes widened to the size of saucers, the wind kicking him back. Garnet saved him by placing a hand on his shoulder. 

Pink jumped backwards from Pearl and landed a few feet away. She quickly brought the sword up and blocked a swing from Pearl. Pearl continued striking her as she tried to keep up with Pearl's speed. The two gems began hitting blades, Pink backing up a step each time the blades connected. 

Pearl growled and ducked, going under Pink's sword and kicking the gem in the side. Pink yelped and instinctively swung back. Pearl smirked cockily and easily blocked the swing. Then she jumped backwards and landed in front of Pink again. Her smile disappeared when she was punched in the head. 

She rolled for a second before fixing herself upright. "What was that!?" 

"Hey! You kicked me first!" Pink retorted, pointing at her angrily. 

"That was _not_ called for!" 

"Neither was kicking me! Isn't there rules for a duel or something?" 

"I'll show you rules." Pearl growled before ducking low and running at her again. Pink huffed before focusing on the gem approaching. Pearl ducked to the side suddenly, and jumped up. Her sword missed Pink's head by an inch, cutting a hair off. It disappeared in a twinkle as Pink yelped and jumped away again. 

She landed on a pillar and glared down at Pearl. "Now you're trying to kill me!" 

"No, I just miscalculated my swing." Pearl said back, looking away. She glared to Amethyst when the purple gem said, "Yo! You're totally trying to kill her!"

Pearl looked back and rolled away when a pink longsword landed on the ground in front of her, cracking the stone underneath it. "Oh, that's it!" 

Pearl darted and jumped at Pink, aiming her sword straight at her. The diamond rolled backwards and landed on the arena again. She ran and looked back, seeing Pearl aim a spear. The nimble gem threw the spear up, jumped after it, and kicked it towards Pink. 

Pink summoned her sword and held her two swords up, ready to block the spear. It never came when a red gauntlet caught the spear. "Alright, that's enough you two." Garnet said as she broke the spear in half. 

"Augh... It was getting good, Garnet. Fine." Pink dropped her swords down, hers disappearing while the other clanked on the ground. Pearl huffed and rolled her eyes. 

"Garnet, why'd you stop it? I wanted to see bloodshed!" Amethyst called out, holding her fists above her head. Garnet walked back to the stands, Pink following behind her while staring at the ground. 

Pearl walked over and grabbed her other sword, examining the blade. She was surprised when she heard faint sound of flip flops running. She looked over and saw Steven sprinting at her, an excited grin on his face. 

He clapped, "That was amazing! You're so good at fighting, Pearl!" He hugged her and bounced on his feet. "Can you teach me to do that stuff!?" 

"Well, I don't see why not," Pearl said as she rubbed the back of her neck, her cheeks a light blue, "So we're gonna use a new fighter."

She turned on her heel and spun around. Leaning forward, her gem glowed and shot out a hologram that looked nearly... identical, besides the mouth and eyes. Amethyst groaned at the sight of Holo-Pearl, "Here we go. Time for boring fight."

"Now Steven, let's start with the basics," Pearl turned to Holo-Pearl and coughed into her hand, "Initiate training mode." 

" _Training mode initiated._ " Holo-Pearl confirmed, " _Awaiting Combatant._ " 

Pearl gave a sword to Holo-Pearl and stepped back away from it. "Now Steven, watch where I place my feet as I take my stance." 

" _Combatant Detect, Level one, begin!_ " Holo-Pearl said as it took an identical stance to Pearl. The Holo-Pearl moved forward and began saying " _Thrust! Parry! Parry! Thrust!"_

Pearl did as it said, parrying the swings in sync. "Now Steven, look at my footing."

Steven slowly lost excitement as Pearl continued talking. It wasn't anything like Lonely Blade! 

"C'mon Pearl, do something cool! Like a Boomerang Blade!" Steven said as he mimicked the action. 

Pearl huffed, "Steven, you know that's not a real sword technique!" 

"Boomerang Blade! Boomerang Blade! Boomerang Blade!" Steven began chanting with growing enthusiasm, causing Pearl to grow even more annoyed. 

"Steven! These are real sword techniques! Not those silly things from your movies!" Pearl said as she waved her hand, facing him. "It's about waiting for the perfect moment to-"

" _Thrust!"_

"Augh!" Pearl's pupils contracted as she felt a burning pain in her stomach. Dropping her sword, she looked down and saw that Holo-Pearl stabbed her straight through her form, the area hit pure white. Steven gasped and covered his mouth, tears beginning at the sides of his eyes. 

"Oh no!" Garnet, Pink, and Amethyst stood up from their seats, looking on in shock.

"W-Whoopsie daisy! S-Steven! It's alright, I'm gonna be just-" She disappeared in a large puff of smoke, leaving behind her gem to roll on the arena floor. 

"Pearl!" Steven screamed as he ran up and picked up her gem, tears running down his cheeks. "P-Pearl!"

" _Challenger defeated! Level one failed!_ " Holo-Pearl said robotically, placing the blade of the sword on the ground. 

"Steven!" The rest of the gems ran over and came to his side. 

"I! I… I was jus-and she- I di-" Steven tried explaining, feeling his throat tighten up. 

"Steven, it's okay. Pearl's gonna be just fine!" Amethyst said, giving him a reassuring smile. 

"W-What do you mean?" He asked, his tears slowly fading away. 

"Sometimes, when our forms are badly damaged, we retreat back into our gems to regenerate." Garnet explained, placing a hand on his back. 

"Yep, so Pearl's just in her gem, getting ready to come back." Pink said, pointing to the white, oval gem in his hands. 

"So she's… she's okay." He said, his throat hurting slightly. Despite that, he smiled down at Pearl's gem. 

"Don't worry bud, stuff like this happens all the time. Mostly to me," Amethyst said, laying down on the ground next to Steven. 

"Always to you." Garnet said jokingly with a smile. 

"That's true, you've probably changed form twenty times!" Pink said as she looked at Amethyst with a smile. 

"What can I say, I'm scrappy!" Amethyst remarked, making them laugh and smile. 

"So, how long will it take for her to regenerate? Five minutes? Ten?" Steven asked, looking towards each of them. 

"Well… Pearl takes her time with her form. It's best if we just head home and wait for her." Pink said as she stood up, putting a hand on Steven's head. 

"Okay, I'll get her a little place to sit. Oh! And she can watch movies with me." Steven said as he and the gems began walking away from the arena. They forgot about the hologram standing in the arena, not moving an inch. 

Holo-Pearl glitched for a second and opened her eyes wide, " _Combatant detected!_ " And began dashing across the arena. 

* * *

**Two Weeks Later**

Steven laid on the counter in the kitchen, a half-eaten Cookie Cat sitting next to him. He stared at Pearl's gem, which was wrapped in a blanket and in a wooden basket. It looked almost like a bird egg, positioned under a small desk lamp as if it were its mother bird. 

He sighed longingly and shifted his head over, revealing half his face red from laying on the table. Under his eyes, small but dark eye bags were forming from not sleeping. 

The warp chime rang out, but Steven didn't even look to see who it was, instead lifting a hand to eat a piece of Cookie Cat. 

"Hey Steven, are you awake?" He felt a hand nudge him, and he slowly turned his head to see Pink. She looked worried, and he decided to respond. 

"Yeah…" He sighed, looking away from her. Pink frowned and laid her hand on his back, moving it around soothingly. 

"Are you still waiting on Pearl?" Steven nodded in response, and lifted himself up a bit. 

"She's still not back, it's been two weeks. It feels like forever." He said, exasperated, before dropping back down. 

"I know, but Pearl's very… thoughtful, when making her form." Pink said, looking off to the side. She took notice of how trashy the house looked, and glanced back down at Steven, "How about you and me clean up a bit, huh? It's a bit of a mess." 

Steven shook his head, making Pink bite her lip and frown. "Well, do you know where Garnet and Amethyst are? I haven't seen them since this morning." 

"They're outside." Steven muttered, pointing at the front door weakly. Pink patted his back and smiled faintly, "Thank you Steven." 

He lowered his head again, and heard her walk away, the sound of the screen door opening and closing signaling her departure. 

He groaned and crossed his arms under him, laying his head down on them. While he laid down, he heard footsteps from the cave area, which made him raise his head to look at who it was. He saw no one, but yet he still heard more footsteps. 

It spiked his curiosity, and he pushed himself off the table. Looking around, he suddenly felt a quick brush of wind behind him, making him spin on a dime. 

"Hello? Who's there?" He asked as he felt paranoia creep up on his spine. Walking towards the warp pad, he heard footsteps right behind him, and he turned around to see Holo-Pearl staring straight at him. 

"Ahh!" He jumped back with a scream, trying to get away from the hologram. 

" _I won't go easy on you this time!_ " Holo-Pearl said, her arms straight at her sides, and a sword still in her hand. The hologram stood still as it faced him, and didn't move an inch. Steven calmed down slowly, and passed the hologram, keeping his distance. 

"Wait a minute, were you looking for me?" Steven asked, glancing over at Pearl's gem. "Unless… Pearl, are you controlling the hologram!?" 

He smiled before hugging Holo-Pearl around the waist, "I've been waiting forever! I'm sorry we left you behind!" 

Holo-Pearl didn't react at all, but Steven didn't seem to care. "C'mon! I gotta show you to the gems!"

* * *

"I'm gonna do it!" Amethyst said with a challenging smile, holding a floating cloud in her hand. 

"Go on then." Garnet said, smirking while crossing her arms. The front door to the house opened up, and the two gems looked up to see Pink walking down to them. 

"Hey, how'd that mission go?" Pink asked, stopping next to Amethyst. 

"We got this cloud thing! It started disappearing, so now I'm just gonna eat it!" Amethyst explained, holding up the cloud in her hand. 

"Amethyst," Pink started, raising a finger, "That is the greatest idea you've ever had." She pointed at the small gen with a goofy grin. 

"I know, now stand back! I'm gonna eat it!" Amethyst said, stepping back away from Pink and Garnet. She shoved the cloud into her mouth and began chewing, before swallowing it down. 

Her entire form puffed up like a cloud, and she slowly rose in the air before she was grabbed by Garnet. 

"That isn't good." Pink muttered as she scratched the side of her head with a finger. 

"What're you rascals doin' out here?" Steven's yell made Pink and Garnet look to the side, and they saw the boy standing next to Holo-Pearl. 

" _Draw your weapon challenger!_ " Holo-Pearl yelled before pointing her sword straight at Amethyst, poking her lightly. 

Amethyst burped out a cloud and stared at the hologram, "Ew, Steven, you got Holo-Pearl?" She eyed the sword warily as Steven nodded. 

"She appeared in the house! Isn't she cool!?" Steven said as he pointed at Holo-Pearl with his hands, "It's gotta be a sign, right?"

"Steven, we know you want Pearl to come back, but… that's just a hologram." Pink said as she looked Holo-Pearl up and down. 

"I…" Steven looked down a bit before sighing, "But what if she's controlling it! What if it's her?" 

"Yeah, that's not Pearl." Amethyst said while glaring at the hologram. 

"Pearl will come back to us in time, Steven. Have patience… and stop hanging out with that thing, it's gross." Garnet said, crossing her arms. 

Amethyst began floating away into the sky, making Garnet and Pink glance at each other. 

Steven looked up to Holo-Pearl and frowned, biting the inside of his cheek. 

* * *

"Alright, you had fun at the boardwalk, right?" Steven asked Holo-Pearl, who had a balloon crown and sword. In his own hands was a big, plush walrus. 

" _Parry!_ " Holo-Pearl shouted, moving her sword up to parry nothing. 

"C'mon, work with me here." Steven said, glowering at it slightly, "This is Pearl's favorite tree, do you recognize it?" He asked while pointing to a large cherry blossom tree behind him. 

"Come on, what's on your mind? Don't hold back!" 

" _Challenge accepted!_ " Holo-Pearl yelled before her eyes turned red and narrow. She drew back her sword, Steven ducking down with his walrus, and hit the tree. Her balloon sword squeaked against the bark, causing no damage, but Steven still looked at her angrily. 

"Argh! You're not Pearl! Real Pearl wouldn't do that! Ahh! You're hopeless! I hate you!" He yelled before hugging his walrus and running away from her. 

* * *

Lighting and thunder roared out in the night sky, the pale moon looking down through the windows of the beach house. 

Inside, Steven was at the end of his bed, Pearl laying next to him. Downstairs, Pink was in the kitchen pouring two bags of popcorn into a large bowl. 

After throwing away the now empty bags, she picked up the bowl and walked up to Steven's room and nudged him a bit. 

"Are you ready to watch the fifth Lonely Blade movie, Steven?" She said enthusiastically, only to get a slow nod from Steven. 

Pink set the bowl down and picked Steven up, then sat in his place and put him down in her lap. "Cheer up a little, I thought you loved these movies?"

She slid the movie into the television, and clicked play. Steven watched the movie as Pink silently watched with him, but he was more focused on other things. 

_"It's about waiting for perfect moment to-"_

He shook his head as tears started at the edges of his eyes. A slight tap made him look up, and he met black diamond-shaped pupils.

"Steven, are you okay?" Pink asked, frowning worriedly at him. 

"Yeah… I'm okay." He wiped at his eyes and tried to hide a sniffle. Pink saw through his lie and paused the movie. 

"Steven, you can tell me what's wrong. Here, we don't have to watch the movie if you don't want to." 

"No! I… I don't want to ruin it. Let's keep watching." He turned the movie back on himself, and awkwardly stared at the movie. Pink gave him a worried glance and sighed. 

As the movie continued, it was sadly discontinued by a sword running straight through the television, making both Steven and Pink jump in fright. 

" _Test your skill against me in a duel!_ " A robotic voice yelled, and the pair turned to see Holo-Pearl standing next to them. 

"Why did it come back here!?" Steven asked, clutching to Pink. 

The hologram raised its sword and faced them, " _Do you wish to engage in combat?_ "

Pink pushed Steven behind herself and summoned her longsword, glaring at Holo-Pearl. 

The hologram's eyes turned red and glitched, " _Challenge accepted!_ " And it raised its sword in a stance. Holo-Pearl swung at her, striking her blade as she blocked it. 

"Steven run!" Pink shouted, and the boy quickly passed her and moved away from the hologram. Holo-Pearl's head twisted like a swivel, staring at the boy. 

" _Unregistered combatant detected!_ " Holo-Pearl shouted, before it turned its entire body to Steven, holding up its sword to strike. 

A pink fist punched it away before it could properly swing, sending the hologram falling down into the living room. 

It rolled and landed straight on its feet, arms by its sides, " _Basic attack mode defeated! Now activating…_ **_advanced mode!_** " 

Holo-Pearl jumped up and spun around behind Pink, who had barely any time to react before she was hit in the back. She screamed in pain, before being sent down to the living room by a well placed hit to the legs. 

Steven watched the fight with growing fear. ' _I can't even help her! If I had waited for Pearl, she wouldn't have been killed!_ ' 

He glanced over to a mess in the corner. ' _What would Pearl do! She… would... wait for the perfect moment!'_

In the mess was a random boomerang, and he snatched it up and looked back at the fight. Holo-Pearl dashed around Pink, who was dodging or parrying any hit she could. 

After a well-timed leg sweep, Holo-Pearl brought her blade up and was ready to strike down onto Pink. 

A boomerang came flying in from nowhere, and hit the sword from the hologram's hands. Pink quickly looked over to the side to see Steven catching the boomerang, glaring at Holo-Pearl. The hologram spun it's head at him, its eyes ruby red. 

Without hesitation, Pink brought her sword up and stabbed Holo-Pearl straight through the head. The hologram's form glitched and fizzled, before she put her arms straight at her sides. 

" _Challenger wins! Do you wish to duel again?_ " 

"No! You stupid hologram." Pink groaned frustratedly as she stood back up and used her sword for support. After so many leg attacks, it's bound to get to a gem. 

"Are you okay?" Steven ran over to her and grabbed her arm, trying to support her. 

"Y-Yeah, thanks for helping Steven. That boomerang throw was really impressive." Pink said before the front door opened, revealing Garnet and Amethyst, who had a string tied around her foot. 

"We heard fighting, what's going on?" Garnet asked, pulling Amethyst into the house. 

"Pearl's hologram went crazy! And it attacked us!" Steven said, pointing to Holo-Pearl. 

"Pearl makes those things too hard. It nearly got me, but Steven saved me in the end." Pink said, smiling at Steven in appreciation. 

" _Do you wish to engage in com-_ " Before the hologram finished its sentence, a mop came crashing down on it, sending its form into pieces. 

Steven began swatting at the remnants of it, and sighed in relief, "Well, guys… I think I learned something today. You can't-"

A bright light came from Steven's bedroom, and they all looked over to see Pearl's gem float up into the air. A light form generated from it, looking like a marionette, before quickly shifting through different forms. 

Soon, it stopped and revealed Pearl's new form. Her hair still had the side curls, but they were much larger and lower on her face. Her hair widened and curved back, and ended in a messy point. 

Her clothes remained mostly the same, except she had a bright blue ribbon around her waist, and a translucent collar and sleeves, which curved outwards. On the new collar, a star was cut out in it. It shined a pale blue and pink from the light. 

Landing on the ground, Pearl let out a sigh of relief before feeling a tight hug around her waist. "Pearl! You're back!" 

She chuckled and looked down at Steven, who looked messy and tired, "Why… hello Steven, miss me much?" 

"Oh man, I had this whole thing planned out for when you came back!" Steven said excitedly before running away to the kitchen.

Pearl looked all around and frowned, "Uh… Steven, what happened to your room?" Looking up, she saw Amethyst floating like a cloud and Pink looking like she fought off an incredibly enraged ghost with a sword. 

"I don't even want to know what happened to you two." Pearl said as she crossed her arms. 

"I got hit by an airplane!" Amethyst said, looking at Pearl with a smile. 

"I got attacked by a ghost!" Pink said right after, smirking at Pearl's exasperated sigh. 

"Pearl's back! Pearl's back! Pearl's back!" Steven came back wearing his shirt over his head, and banging on a pot with a ladle. 

"I can't leave you guys alone for a second." Pearl muttered, lowering her head in defeat. 

" _Pearl's back!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a doozy huh? Thank god Steven and his trusty boomerang was there to save the day!
> 
> If you liked this chapter, or like this story, leave some kudos for ya' boy. Better yet, leave a comment so I can improve on any problems!
> 
> Next chapter: Mirror Gem


	9. Mirror Gem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing about school and summer vacation from Connie, Steven tries to recreate it. 
> 
> After failing, Pearl gives him a gem mirror which is more than it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys ready for this!? Cause I'm not! 
> 
> I'm very glad I've seemed to get out of my writers block. Turns out its easier to write when you're actually enjoying it, too. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy reading!

# Mirror Gem

Steven sat down on the couch with his phone up to his ear as he frowned, "What? Why not?" 

" _Steven, I told you, I can't hang out today. I have tennis practice. And then mom wants to go out for family dinner,"_ Connie said over the phone, " _But I can hang out all day tomorrow! And I can come over all the time now that it's summer vacation._ " 

"What's summer vacation?" Steven asked as he slid off the couch, his head hitting the floor. 

" _Y'know, when school gets out for the summer?_ " 

"I've never been to this… school. But, Pearl mentioned it to me when she got me those textbooks. What's it like, Connie?"

" _Well, there's desks, and chalkboards, books, maps._ " Connie began listing things off as Steven nodded along, narrowing his eyes. 

* * *

In the middle of the living room, a large stack of different objects sat alone. Steven walked up to the pile and nodded approvingly. 

"Yep, it's all coming together." Behind him, Pearl walked up with a desk and sat it next to the pile. 

"There you go, this should account for all of the school appliances. But, I don't see how any of this improves your learning." Pearl commented as she sat down on a stack of books. 

"Well, it should do something, right? Oh, I should've asked Connie what they do!" Steven slapped his forehead and laid against a cabinet. "How am I going to know how any of this teaches me now?"

Pearl hummed before an idea came to her, "Oh! Wait, I know something that can teach you!" 

She stood up and held her hand near her gem. It glowed white before an object materialised in the air, made of light. The object gained form and appeared to be a mirror with a cracked blue gemstone on the back. Steven grabbed the handle and looked down at his reflection.

"This is the Mirror of Recollection! It was a prized artifact that can capture and display any event it's witnessed in all of gem history" Pearl explained, walking over next to Steven. 

"Woah, I must be incredibly important to gem culture." Steven remarked as he smiled at himself.

"N-No, that's just your reflection. It's not even turned on," Pearl explained before clearing her throat, "Mirror, show us the Galaxy Warp." 

The mirror did nothing, which caused Steven to frown in disappointment. Pearl raised an eyebrow and tried again, "Mirror, show us the galaxy warp!"

Nothing. Again. 

With a defeated sigh, Pearl looked to Steven, "It must be broken. Such a shame, I would've loved for you to see the Temple of Ancients." 

"Does that mean I can keep it?" Steven asked as he looked up to her with a smirk.

"I guess so, and I assume our school is over." Pearl hummed as she looked over at the pile she knew she needed to clean up. 

"You could say it's… out for summer?" Steven said with a goofy smile. 

"Um… sure, Steven. I guess there are many ways to say it." Pearl responded, not getting the joke, or reference.

Steven cheered loudly and ran out the house screaming, "Summer vacation!"

* * *

"Happy summer vacation, Steven! Happy summer vacation Beach City!" Steven yelled as he held his arms up, walking backwards. 

His celebration was cut short when he bumped into someone, who then dropped a table. Steven turned around and saw that it was Lars, who whipped his head around and glared at him.

"Watch where you're going you little shi- _Steven_!" Lars warned while pointing at Steven, stopping himself when Sadie glared at him. 

"S-Sorry, I'm just excited for summer! Are you excited for summer?!" He yelled happily as he pointed at Sadie. 

"Well, I think I'm as excited as I can get for setting up extra seating for the summer rush." Sadie replied as she pointed at other tables behind her, "But I think Lars has big plans." 

"You bet I do. All those out of town summer babes traveling away from home without their boyfriends… if you know what I mean?" He leaned over the fallen table with a smirk, raising his eyebrows at Steven.

Steven deadpanned at him before shrugging, "Nope." 

"Well, maybe I can get a few numbers… and _call_ one." Lars said as he looked off to the side with a longing smile. 

"Ha! Yeah, maybe I'll… meet a new friend!" Sadie said while smiling at Lars, who looked at her with a weird glance.

"That's a great idea! Make a special new friend who will have fun with you on the beach for the summer," Steven said before lifting up the mirror to his head. "Maybe if I keep using the mirror to guide me, I'll walk backwards into my own beach summer fun buddy!"

Steven began walking backwards and smiling at the mirror, while Lars said something he didn't completely hear. 

He sped up and began laughing, using the mirror to guide himself down the road. After moonwalking comically and passing Beach Citywalk Fries, the mirror's glass began moving like water and turned into Lars. The boy didn't notice the mayor's van driving towards him. 

" _Watch where you're going you little shi-"_

Steven looked down at the mirror in confusion before looking to his right and screaming, "No!" 

The van stopped to a halt, and Mayor Dewey leaned out from the passengers side, "Hey! Car wash Kid, what're you doing!?" 

"I don't know, why were you driving on the boardwalk?" Steven asked, causing the mayor glare at him. 

"I'm the mayor! I'm not gonna walk anywhere! Now, go get run over somewhere else, I'm late for a speech." Dewey said before leaning back into the van. It backed away and passed Steven, who looked down at his mirror. 

"What just happened?" He asked as he stared at his reflection, which began shifting into himself laughing. 

"You work!" He said while smiling widely, "This is so cool! What's it like being a mirror?" 

" _You work!"_

"So you can repeat stuff?" He asked, to which the mirror responded with him laughing 'yeah!' 

A man nearby talking through a megaphone caught Steven's attention. Walking over, Steven saw that it was the mayor, and he joined in with a crowd near him. 

"Hello Beach City, my friends! It's great to be here to celebrate the coming season! The warm summer breeze wafts through the air."

Steven brought up his hand and made a fart noise, getting a few chuckles and snickers. As the mayor continued his speech, the mirror began repeating the noise, until the crowd around them were laughing at the mayor. 

"Wow, you picked that up fast!" Steven commented to the mirror with a smile. 

* * *

As Steven was lying against the sand of the beach, the sun setting in the distance, the mirror made another fart noise. Steven chuckled before shaking his head, "You got a lot of mileage out of that joke. You're pretty funny for a mirror." 

" _You're pretty funny for a mirror._ " This made Steven laugh, "I'm not a mirror!" 

" _You're pretty funny for a-Steven!_ "

"Huh! You made something new! Say something else!" He said while lifting himself from the sand, excitedly smiling at the mirror. 

" _Steven! Is the new friend!_ " 

"Really?!" Steven asked, blushing. 

" _Yeah!_ " 

"You're my friend too!" Steven said happily while sitting on his knees. The mirror began mimicking his laughter, his head appearing in circles and multiplying. 

"Wow! I gotta go tell the gems!" Steven said as he stood up and began walking towards the temple. Suddenly, the mirror screamed, " _Noo!!"_

"Don't be shy! They'll love you!" He gave it a reassuring smile, but was met with another scream. This time, it began multiplying again, " _No! No! No!_ "

"Don't worry, they're a good audience!"

* * *

Steven opened the door to the beach house, and saw the gems sitting in the living room. A tall stack of different objects were neatly organized on the table. 

"Yo! Ste-man!" Amethyst said while raising a hand up. 

"Howdy, bang." Garnet greeted while pointing a finger gun at him, pretending to shoot. 

"Hey Steven! Look at this tower we've made!" Pink said while waving at him. She placed a toy bear on it, before Pearl stabbed it through the chest with her spear. 

Amethyst began laughing as Pearl angrily began tearing the bear off. "What do you not understand when I say symmetrical means both sides have to be equal!?" 

She tossed the toy bear to a small pile of stabbed things, and made Steven look at it in anguish, "MC Bear Bear!" 

He got over it quickly and waved his arms, "Okay, that's great. Anyway, I fixed the mirror!" 

"Excellent work Steven!" Pearl complimented as she dissipated her spear. 

"You didn't tell me it was a _person_." His words made the gems look at him in shock. 

"Say hey!" Steven said as he held out the mirror to the gems. After nothing happened, he looked at it in confusion, "Little buddy?" 

He looked back at the gems and sighed, "Excuse us." Turning around, he looked down at the mirror, "C'mon, you wanna come out, don't you? You got so much to say, and funny noises from across the ages. Are we not beach summer fun buddies?" 

The mirror turned and made a fart noise, making Steven laugh, "Just couldn't help yourself, huh!" 

" _Just-for-you-Steven!_ _Haha! Haha!_ " 

"It's talking to him? It shouldn't be able to do that, it should only be following orders!" Pearl said while slowly covering her mouth, as the others stood up quickly.

"Steven!" Pink said as she walked up and bent down near him, making the mirror yell, " _No! No!_ "

Steven turned his head around and frowned at Pink, laying a hand on the mirror. 

"Steven, you should just give back the mirror. It could be dangerous." She explained, making Steven step back from her to the door. 

"Yeah, let's bubble it!" Amethyst said as she punched the palm of her hand. 

"We need to make sure we can watch it." Garnet explained, crossing her arms. 

The mirror began screaming again, and he felt sweat drip down his head, "It doesn't want to go with you. Don't you hear it screaming?" 

"It's just a tool, it can't want anything. Now, give it to me, Steven." Pink ordered, raising her arm to take it. 

As her hand approached, Steven continued glancing back and forth between the mirror. He felt anger bubble up before he raised the back of his hand. 

"It wants to be… **_with me!_ **" He slapped her hand away, causing it to hit her in the face. Realization crept into his head, and dread hit him like a rock. 

As the gems gasped from behind, Pink raised her head and glared at Steven, her diamond-shaped pupils bright white with anger.

He yelped before running out the door, "I'm sorry!" He ran down from the porch and ran down the beach. 

After stopping behind a rock, he wiped away his sweat and looked down at the mirror. 

"What am I gonna do! What's their problem with you?" The mirror began changing, and he began shaking it. "Are you trying to tell me something!?" 

" _Away from home-let-me-_ **_out!_** " The words came out distorted, and he heard the gems yell his name in the distance. 

"I don't understand! C'mon, I wanna help you! What can I do!?"

The mirror began showing clouds and glowed a soft blue. A blue image of the mirror came into view, and it showed Steven grabbing the gem from the back and pulling it out. 

He furrowed his eyes and turned the mirror around, seeing the cracked gem on the back. Slowly, he grabbed the gem and began pulling with all of his strength. 

Water began closing in around him, making a water droplet shape at his feet. He groaned before yanking out the gemstone, causing the mirror to crack and explode. 

The gemstone blew up with light, and floated from his hand into the air. It shot out five beams of light blue light before it took form. 

A blue gem with a dark blue skirt, crop top, and shaggy hair formed from the gemstone. She fell to the ground, and Steven dropped the mirror and ran over to her. The gem lifted herself off the ground and turned her head to him. 

"Thank you… Steven." She muttered, before standing up. Nearly falling, Steven grabbed her arms and helped her up. 

"You… you helped me! You actually talked to me!" She said as she smiled at him. 

"Yeah! Why wouldn't I?" Steven asked as the gem stood up straight, not needing his help anymore. 

"Are you really a Crystal Gem?" She asked, making Steven nod with a smile.

"Yeah!" 

"Then why did you set me free?" Her question made Steven frown and raise an eyebrow, "What?"

"Steven!" He turned his head and saw the gems running towards them, their weapons summoned. 

"Wait!" He yelled as he ran up to them with his arms raised. A dark shadow fell upon the beach as the blue gem spoke. 

" **You.** " Steven turned his head back and saw water rising up like tendrils. "You four knew I was in there. And you didn't do _anything_! Did you even wonder who I used to _be!?_ "

The water formed into three giant arms, and one slammed down onto the beach. They all moved away from it, but Garnet was caught under the hand. The other arms attempted to hit the gems, swinging down on them.

"Steven! Run!" Pearl shouted as she landed on the sand, dodging a giant fist. 

"What are you doing?!" Steven asked as he looked at the blue gem, grabbing her arms.

" ** _I'm Lapis Lazuli! And you can't keep me trapped here anymore_** **!"**

Lapis yelled in anger as the ocean behind her began rising violently. A line formed in the water, creating a path into the ocean. 

"Steven, come with me. They're not gonna let us leave." Lapis said, making Steven panic. 

"Leave? Where?" 

"Home." Lapis muttered while frowning sorrowfully. 

"B-B-But I…" He failed to form words, and was interrupted as Garnet punched away an arm, sending a shockwave around the beach. Lapis and Steven skid in the sand, and Lapis scowled.

An arm formed from the water again, and grabbed Steven, making him yell, "Wait! Hold on!"

"I won't let them trap us! We're leaving this place!" Lapis said angrily as Garnet rushed towards them frantically. 

A huge wave rose in the ocean as Lapis and Steven disappeared into the water, and the wave came crashing down onto the beach. 

"Steven!" The gems yelled before being thrown by the wave, sending them flying back. Quickly, they got back up and ran to the edge of the beach. 

There were no signs of Steven or Lapis, and reality set in for them. Pearl began hyperventilating and holding her stomach as Amethyst began freaking out. 

"He's gone! She took Steven! What're we gonna do!?"

Pink's arms were shaking as she stared at the ocean with dread, her body trembling and letting off a faint pink glow. Garnet scowled before gritting her teeth and looking to the rest of the gems. 

"We have to find them! We can't let her escape!" She began walking to the water, but felt a hand grab her arm. She scowled and looked back, meeting eyes with Pearl. 

" **She already has**." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lapis Lazuli~  
> Kidnapped Steven and took him in the sea~
> 
> Can't wait to write Ocean Gem! I think Mirror and Ocean Gem are my favorite episodes, since they actually start pushing the Homeworld Plot forward. 
> 
> Anyways, if you enjoyed the chapter, leave a comment or kudos! They help push me forward into making more chapters for you guys!


	10. Ocean Gem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gems head out to find Steven and Lapis, while Steven tries to convince Lapis to free the ocean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, now feast your eyes on it!
> 
> Finally done with this litte arc, if you could call it that. Anyway, as I say with every chapter...
> 
> Enjoy reading!

# Ocean Gem

Even with the sun high in the sky, it still felt as dreary and dark as the previous night. 

"We gotta find him! We can't just be sitting around!" Pearl said frustratedly as she walked up and down the living room. Her hair appeared more messy, and all over the place. Amethyst and Garnet were in the kitchen, Amethyst sitting on the bar table with her arms crossed tightly. Garnet stood still while holding her visor, as if she was looking into the future. 

"Well, we can't really do that Pearl! We don't know where they went!" Amethyst yelled as she scowled at the pale gem, her hands squeezing her arms tightly. 

"You two! Quiet!" Garnet barked while she fixed her visor and glared at the two. 

"Well, we really can't be when Steven got freakin 'napped!" Amethyst shouted back, causing Pearl to reprimand her angrily. 

While the two began arguing again and Garnet grew more frustrated, Pink sat on the couch with her head resting in her hands. One of her legs was shaking uncontrollably, and some of her fingers were twirling and pulling her hair. 

Garnet sneered before letting go of her visor and looking over to Pink. She internally sighed and glanced down, knowing that she wouldn't get any help from her. 

Amethyst and Pearl's arguing became loud enough to where she couldn't even think properly, and she opened her mouth to hush them. 

That moment would never come as Greg busted through the front door, panting and sweating, "You guys really need to come and check this out!"

* * *

The ocean was gone.

_Completely gone_.

The once vast water-filled horizon was now replaced with a barren, sandy wasteland. Boats and old strange carved rocks were all that was left. A crowd of local residents, and tourists, stood outside at the edge of where the ocean was. 

As the gems followed Greg to the crowd, Mayor Dewey noticed them approaching, "Hey! It's those magical ladies!" He yelled through a megaphone before running up to them, "What's going on here?!" 

"The ocean is gone, obviously." Garnet stated as she walked ahead of the gems 

"That's right! Now it's just a desert! No one wants to visit Desert City!" He yelled, growing more and more despondent. "We're gonna lose all our summer tourism!"

More residents and business owners began speaking up, and Dewey came face to face with Garnet. 

"As mayor, I demand you explain this _immediate-_ " He yelled, before his megaphone was smacked out of his hand by Garnet, making him instantly shut up. 

"It was by a gem named Lapis Lazuli. She was released from a prison, and is using her powers on the ocean." She explained, while Pearl created a hologram of said gem. 

The people gasped as they saw her, whispering to each other. Some were more surprised by the hologram itself, asking how she did it. The hologram disappeared quickly, and Garnet fixed her visor, "I suggest you all go home until the situation is taken care of." 

"And speaking of which, Greg, we need to talk." She turned to the middle-aged man, who rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Alright, what is it? Is it something magical, because you know I don't like that stuff."

* * *

If Steven wasn't half-gem, he'd surely be dead by now. 

And that fact was currently thought number one as he looked down from the edges of the tower with wide, fearful eyes. The edge went down roughly twenty kilometers, and branched outwards into other towers and flat plains. Even  _ he _ knew that people weren't supposed to be this high. 

"W-we're really high up, y'know?" He said loudly as he glanced behind him. Lapis stood a few feet away with her arms surrounded by water, which twirled down into the floor. 

"I'm focusing, Steven." Lapis muttered dismissively, making Steven frown and look down at Earth. It seemed so far away, and the specks that were clouds and storms surrounding the tower hammered that in for him. 

He stepped back from the edge and held his stomach, placing his hand on his gem. 

'I really messed up, didn't I? Oh stars...' He felt sick to his stomach; a sinking feeling in his gut. Nearly falling to his knees, he saw Lapis free her hands from the water and look over to him. 

He stood up straight and watched her warily as she walked over to him. Her eyes were reflective like mirrors, and he saw himself in her eyes. 

"Are you okay?" She asked as she looked at him carefully, putting an arm on his shoulder. 

"Y-yeah, I'm just not a fan of heights." He said, huffing a laugh that wasn't all there. 

"Good. I didn't want them trapping m-us." She corrected herself as she sat on her knees and looked out into space. 

"What do you mean?" Steven asked as he sat down next to her. "Did something happen for you to be trapped?" 

"Back during the war… I was caught in the fighting. After hearing that rebels had taken over the planet... I tried to run," Her hands grabbed a hold of her skirt tightly as she continued. "I was caught, and gems put me in that mirror. They used me, like a tool, like I wasn't somebody!" 

Her voice rose and quivered, water nearby violently rising like waves. She stopped and took in a deep breath, before sighing and looking at Steven. 

"But you… you treated me like… like a friend! You talked to me, and liked me!" She said as her spirit lifted, "I can't thank you enough. And once we go home, we can forget all of this ever happened."

"Home? But… this is my home." Steven muttered, making Lapis look at him in confusion. "All of this is my home. The ocean is a part of it. Why are we even up here?" 

He grew frustrated slightly, waving his arms out. Lapis scowled slightly, standing up and looking down at him. 

"We're using the ocean to get home. If I stretch it far enough, we can get there." She said before she began walking away, into the center of the tower. "You're a Crystal Gem, I doubt you'll come with me." 

She stopped walking and water lifted around her arms again, and she sneered angrily, "They're here."

Steven raised his eyebrows before understanding what she meant. He didn't know dread and hope could come together in a package, but now he did. 

* * *

The drive was taking longer than expected, and they didn't even know how long it would continue. The sun had long gone down in the distance as they crossed across the barren wasteland the ocean once covered. 

Greg was currently in the back of the van, his hands connected in a tight bind while sleeping. Amethyst sat next to him, snoring loudly. Pearl sat in the back between the passenger and driver seat, facing Greg and Amethyst. 

Her eyes were shut, but her hands rubbing together nervously showed she wasn't asleep in any capacity. On top of the van, Lion slept soundly, and in the driver's seat was Garnet, driving with one hand on top of the wheel. Sitting in the passenger seat was Pink, who was fidgeting still, looking out of the window. 

The silence was almost drowning, and was broken when Garnet spoke, "You've been quiet all day." She said as she turned her head to her leader. 

"Y-yeah… maybe I have." The words came out irritated, but rotten with anxiety. 

"We'll get him back. Just remember we're counting on you to lead us." Garnet said as the van rattled slightly. After getting no response, Garnet sighed and shook her head.

" _ Rose should be here _ ." 

Garnet felt her form go cold from the whisper, and she glanced over at Pink with a deep frown, her mouth parted slightly. 

"Rose would know what to do. I can't make strategy like her _. _ " 

Garnet tightened her grip on the van's steering wheel as she sighed, "Of course you  _ do _ . For now, think of a plan and go from there." 

"I don't know… we'll… we'll just n-need to be quick, poof Lapis. Get Steven… and go home." Pink muttered as she messed with her fingers, trying to interlock them messily. 

A cough from behind got the two's attention, but only Garnet looked back to see Pearl leaning between the seats. She had an anxious look over her face, and Garnet didn't need any future vision to know what she was gonna ask. 

"Do you think he's safe?" The white gem asked as she looked to Garnet with a frown. 

"Lapis sees him as an ally. She… she's desperate, so we'll have to be careful." Garnet explained, making Pearl sigh shakily. 

"Yes, and we can only hope she hasn't left with him. I-" She stopped and grabbed onto the edges of the seats, then rose up slightly. Her eyes were fixated on something up ahead, and the two others looked to see a large tower of water.

The tower appeared to never stop rising, and water was rising up into it from cracks in the ground. Dark clouds also surrounded it, droplets of water rushing out to join the behemoth of water. 

The van came to a stop a few meters away, and the gems rushed out of the car. Greg stepped out too, and looked up to the tower with the best album cover idea in mind. 

"Stay alert, she could be anywhere." Garnet said as she summoned her gauntlets, the gems summoning their weapons soon after. 

"What could she want with the ocean?" Pearl asked as she saw different sea animals swimming in the water.

" _ Go away! _ " A thunderous voice shouted, shaking the area with a tremble. Water at the base morphed into a large head, glaring at them. " _Before I make you_!"

"Lapis Lazuli! Where's Steven!" Pink stepped forward, hands shaking while gripping her sword. 

" _Noo_! " The face morphed into Steven's, and then changed into Lapis'. "You're the reason I was trapped here! You and you're Crystal Gems! Just… leave me alone." 

The face disappeared into the water, making the gems growl. Pink stepped forward again, and pointed at the water. 

"We're not leaving until we get Steven back! The ocean, too!" After a few seconds of silence, the ground rumbled before forming cracks. Water seeped up and began forming into the gems. 

A water clone of Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, and Lapis herself soon faced them, glaring with contempt. The clones summoned their own weapons, which were made of hard, solid ice. 

Pink backed up and rejoined the gems, who were growling at the clones. Greg stepped back and got in his van, hiding down in the back.

"If we stay together, we can-Augh!" Garnet was cut off when her water clone punched her square in the gut. The force sent her flying back into the ground, eventually coming to a stop nearly fifteen meters away. 

She pulled herself out and cracked her neck, as Water-Garnet landed a few feet away. Garnet charged at her clone, who blocked it with her gauntlets. The impact created a huge crater around them, cracking the ground into pieces. 

This time the clone attacked, throwing a punch towards her. She matched the punch, and then the one after that. Soon the two were caught in a flurry of fists, each colliding with each other. 

The ground shook as they fought, and Garnet broke the chain by ducking quickly and uppercutting the clone. Water-Garnet's head broke up and broke into water droplets, before rejoining together. 

Garnet's mouth opened in surprise, but was quickly replaced with pain as the water clone kicked her away, sending her into a boulder. 

* * *

As Garnet leaped back into battle, the boulder was grabbed by Amethyst's whip. It was sent flying towards Water-Amethyst, who reformed to dodge it. This continued as Amethyst kept throwing nearby boulders and rocks at her clone. 

After the clone dodged again, Amethyst stomped her foot, "Oh c'mon!" And felt her leg get wrapped around by water. She was thrown up and back into the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust. 

"Well, if we're playing fair!" Her form glowed and she shapeshifted into a wrestler. Jumping up, she began falling quickly at her clone with her knee aimed at it. 

* * *

Pearl was having to deal with two of her own clones, after she had cut the first one in half. She ducked under their spears, and dodged their slashes. Their fighting styles were identical to hers, down to the simplest step. 

After a spear grazed her arm, leaving a bright white cut, she gritted her teeth and somersaulted backwards. With a raise of her arm, a thin wall of sand hid her from them. The Water-Pearls jumped over it, with their spears raised up, but were blown away as a large white ball of energy hit them both. 

Pearl stood up and dropped the sand wall with a sigh, "I hate fighting me."

* * *

Water-Lapis raised her arms, sending water rising from the cracks in the ground. Pink leapt to the side as a large fist of water crashed down where she was standing. 

She rushed towards Water-Lapis, her sword aimed at her target. A rush of wind by her side made her glance over and see the fist coming straight at her. With barely any time, she raised her sword defensively and took the strike. 

The blow sent her flying off to the side, and broke her sword in two. The Lapis clone stepped towards where Pink landed, two large fists forming from her back. 

Pink raised herself up, her form glowing a low pink, and two hexagonal shields formed next to her. She glared at the clone and snarled, "Is that all, come at me!" 

Water-Lapis sent the two fists at Pink, but they were blocked by the shields. The clone narrowed its eyes and raised water again, creating a set of chains up. A main row of water fists came directly at her, spinning around like a tornado. 

Pink formed a new shield in front of her when the fists came into range. They exploded against the shield, but soon formed past and kept coming. Her eyes hardened as she created two hexagonal orbs around her fists. She reeled back her left arm and awaited the water fists. They came roaring closer and closer. Then they stopped. 

She gasped and choked when a water chain flew into the back of her neck and stopped her from moving. More chains came flying in and grabbed her arms and legs. A pair wrapped around her torso as she began struggling against them. 

Water-Lapis rose up and looked down at the struggling Pink with anger. Her pure blue watery eyes showed nothing but fury. 

Pink felt anger and anxiety build up as she hopelessly struggled against the chains. Her chest felt like a bottomless pit as anxiety grew in her. She was trapped. The pink glow around her grew brighter before she opened her mouth and shouted, "That's… _**Enough**_!" 

The chains broke apart as a shockwave hit Water-Lapis, causing it to shake and disappear into a puddle. A large crater surrounded Pink, and cracks with a low pink glow spread out from her feet. She fell on the ground and gasped. 

The other water clones the gems were fighting disappeared, shaking before exploding into puddles. The gems looked to their leader as the fight finally ended. 

The tower of water began shaking slightly, a few large chunks nearly falling off. Some did fall off, landing and causing great waves. 

* * *

Steven lost his footing as the tower shook, causing him to fall on his face. Lapis was panicking nearby, trying to keep her hold on the tower as her powers failed. 

She regained control and growled angrily before Steven yelled at her, "Lapis! You need to stop! This is crazy!"" 

"I need to do this Steven!" She yelled back as she turned to him. "I'm so close! I can't give up now! If I stre-"

"No! If it worked, we would've been there already!" Steven said before he frowned sadly, "I know how important home can be… but, that's why you need to stop. The ocean is a part of my home, and you took it away." 

Lapis closed her hands into fists, but dropped them as she sighed, "I… I just want to go home. My gem is cracked," she looked down as her will to fight died, "If I stretch the ocean enough, I… I can… this is never going to work." 

She fell to her knees and held herself with her arms, making Steven frown and walk over. He joined her side and got on his own knees. 

After the two were silent for a while, Steven spoke up, "I… think I can help." Lapis looked over at him, confused, her eyes reflecting his face. 

"Well, maybe not me… but I think Pink ca-"

"Pink? Pink  _ Diamond _ !? She's the reason I'm stuck here in the first place! Why would I even  _ go  _ to her?!" Lapis gained more anger at the idea. "If she wanted to  _ help  _ me, she could've not started her horrible rebellion that trapped me here!" 

"Wait, Lapis, please!" Steven started, but paused when he saw the furious look on Lazuli's face. It seemed to calm, but turned into a stern look. "Please, Pink… has healing tears. She can heal gems! She could heal yours! We just nee-"

"I'm sorry, Steven. But I can't risk it anymore." Lapis said defeatedly as she stood up. She slowly stepped away, but stopped when Steven spoke up. 

"No, wait! How will you get home then?!" He argued, pointing at the distant galaxy she had just been staring at longingly not even five minutes ago. It was incredibly noticeable in the sky, glowing pink, blue, yellow, and white all around it. Lapis glanced at it too, then scowled at him. 

But he was right. Her entire fight died when it came to going back to  _ Homeworld _ . Her gem was cracked, her strength was almost gone, and whatever they did down there had made her powers completely useless. There was  _ nothing  _ she could do. 

And so, she looked back at Steven angrily, "What if she healed me? How do I know they won't just put me back in a mirror? How can you know that they won't, Steven? Your friends, they aren't right. They're rebels! They don't care about anything other than this planet and themselves." 

"No, it isn't like that. Lapis, I've known them my whole life! They won't trap you again, if… if they try to," He set a hard glare. "If they try to then I'll  _ stop _ them." Lapis' eyes widened at the force of his words. He looked genuinely ready to do just that. 

Lapis tried speaking, words catching in her throat, before she finally spoke, "Okay… thank you." She smiled in appreciation before she raised her arms up. Water surrounded them before they began descending through the tower. Steven gasped at the sight of fish and other sea life floating around them. It was beautiful in a way he couldn't explain. Lapis glanced at him and smiled a little bit more when she saw his awestruck face. 

The trip down ended after a few minutes. Their feet touched the sandy ground beneath them, making a soft crunching noise. Through the blurry blue water, he could see the gems outside. It looked like they couldn't see him though, as they huddled near each other and raised their weapons. He could also barely make out his dad's van. 

He looked up at Lapis after nothing happened for a few moments, "Are we gonna go?" 

"Yes, just… hold on." Lapis grabbed her elbow and looked off to the side. Steven put a hand on her right arm and patted it, "Hey, it's gonna be okay. I'll go first." He pointed at them while never taking his eyes off her. She nodded hesitantly and opened a small path for him. 

The gems came into view and they looked at him in surprise. Pearl was the first to run up and hug him as he stepped out. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried, "Steven! Are you okay!? Did she hurt you?!" 

"No, I'm fine! But-" He took a glance at the others and his assumptions were right, they were glaring right at Lapis. Pearl took notice when Lapis walked out from the tower herself, looking afraid. Rightfully so as Pearl yelped and summoned her spear. 

"L-Lapis!" She screamed and pushed Steven behind her, but the boy fought back and stepped away from her. "Steven, what are you doing?!" 

"I'm sorry, but we all have to stop." He made it to Lapis and winced at the betrayed looks of the gems. 

"Dude, what are you talking about? She straight up 'napped you!" Amethyst said as she pointed at the gem behind Steven angrily. 

"I know! She just wanted to get home, but her gem is cracked! So we all have to stop and fix this!" He pointed back at her, sending her a reassuring grin for a second. His eyes locked onto Pink as she stared at him with a mix between confusion, shock, and… regret. 

Pearl spoke up, "Wait, are you saying we… help her? She's too dangerous! We don't know what she could do!" She argued and pointed her spear at the blue gem. 

"She isn't gonna do anything! Right?" Lapis looked between him and the gems and slowly nodded. 

"We still can't let her go, Steven. If she makes it to Homeworld, they'll most certainly come back." Garnet explained, unsummoning her gauntlets. 

"I don't care about that, as long as I get off this planet." Lapis finally talked, taking a step forward. "Look, I just need to get home. I…" She looked at Steven and became silent in thought. "I… won't tell them about you. As long as my gem is healed, I won't tell them you're here." 

The gems became still at Lazuli's words. It was risky, and highly dangerous- "Okay." 

And then all of that was thrown out the window by Pink's words. Pearl looked slightly mortified, but it went ignored. "I'll heal you, and in exchange you  _ won't _ tell any gem that we're still on Earth." Her gaze intensified at the last part. 

She walked forward ahead of Pearl and stared at Lapis, waiting for an answer. Steven's eyes flicked between them, waiting with anticipation. Lapis slowly nodded and stepped closer, "Okay… I won't." 

"Then let me do this real quick." Pink's gaze fell slightly as she walked up to Lapis. The blue gem eyed her warily for a second before asking, "Um… what exactly do I do?" 

"Oh, just turn around. I need to see your gem." Pink did a small circle with her finger, making Lapis turn around and shift on her feet. "Like this?" 

"Perfect, now let me just…" Pink looked at the gem, studying the crack before licking her thumb and pressing it against Lapis' gem. She shivered at the contact before letting out a gasp. Her gem mended back together, then shot out a beam of light as she took a wobbly step forward. Her eyes lost their reflection, giving way to a pair of dark blue. Two wings made of clear water shot out from the sides of her gem, taking experimental flaps. 

She looked back at the diamond behind her and gave a small, but thankful smile. " _ Thank you. _ " 

Steven ran up to her and stopped just three feet away. Lapis' smile brightened and she hugged him, "And thank you Steven! I don't know what I could've done without you! Just… thank you for everything." She tightened the hug as Steven returned it. 

"No prob' Bob." He said jokingly, making Lapis pull back and crack a raised eyebrow, "It's Lapis." 

"Ha, I know!" He laughed, making Lapis chuckle. Steven missed the confusion in her small chuckle, but it probably wasn't important. Lapis stood up and turned back to the Crystal Gems, giving them one last look before flying up in the air. She stopped and gave Steven a longing glance before sighing.

"Goodbye Steven." 

And with that she was gone. 

  
  


Everyone watched her fly high into the air, circling around the tower for a few moments, before fully disappearing in the sky. They sat in silence before Greg spoke up nervously. "Is she gone? Thank god!" He jumped out of the van and ran over to Steven. "Steven! Are you okay?!" He dropped down and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. His eyes scanned every inch of Steven, trying to find anything that pointed to him being hurt. 

"Dad! I'm fine!" Steven reassured him before bringing in a hug. Greg easily returned it, rubbing a hand through his hair. 

"I thought I lost you for good! Please, don't ever scare me like that! I don't think I could take it." 

"I don't plan on it dad." He said while smiling. Which he dropped as soon as a loud rumbling shook everyone. He looked around and saw the tower of water begin crumbling, large "cracks" running through the entire thing. The clouds surrounding it earlier spread out from it as it began falling. 

"Uh, we should probably go!" Greg yelled as he held Steven close and backed away. 

"Everyone! To the van!" Garnet ordered them as the tower crumbled, huge pieces slamming the ground and spreading out into large waves. They all ran to the old van and squeezed in quickly, not caring if it became cramped. You tended not to when the entire ocean was splashing down right next to you. 

Greg smashed down on the gas pedal as the water rushed in behind them. 

* * *

In Desert City _(formerly known as Beach City_ ), Mayor Dewey was crying his heart out while holding a water hose. His precious Beach City, held by his family for over 10 generations, is gone. Taken away by some witch lady with magic. Now no one would come back, all of the profits gone. Gone with all the water. 

Then water swept him away backwards and made him scream. The ocean came in from all sides, surrounding Beach City(known formerly as Desert City). 

Crowds of people came out and watched the spectacle, some even jumping in fully clothed. Although not all wanted to as Sadie pushed Lars into the water after he yelled, "Babe City here we come!" While fist pumping the air. 

At the tip of the small peninsula, a large pink bubble with a van inside drove out, carrying the Crystal Gems and a very terrified dad. The van rolled to a stop and the bubble eventually popped, causing the van to drop to the ground. It's wheels gave out underneath as Greg rushed out and looked at the damage. The gems hopped out from the back, with Amethyst holding Steven above her head while laughing maniacally. 

"We got the Steve-man back! Time for a par-tay!" She ran around in circles as Steven struggled to get out from her hands. Even so, he was chuckling all the same. Pearl crossed her arms and shook her head at their antics, smirking softly. But it didn't last long when Pink passed her quickly, making her watch the diamond. 

" _ Steven!" _ A distant voice shouted, and the boy didn't expect to be nearly tackled to the ground. Key word,  _ nearly _ , as he held his balance and excitedly hugged the tackler. 

"Connie!" 

"When you didn't call in the morning, I came to check and apparently you weren't there. The gems looked really freaked out and didn't tell me. Then I saw the literal ocean was gone! What happened!?" 

"I… released this gem from a mirror. Then she kinda… kidnapped me-"

"Kidnapped you?! You stopped her right?" Connie looked freaked out at the idea.  _ 'Steven kidnapped?! And by a gem… _ '

"Well, yeah. She just wanted to get home, so she tried using the ocean to do it. Her gem was cracked, but we healed it. So she's gone." 

"Well, I hope she stays away. I kinda like the ocean." 

"Yeah, me too. But… I hope she makes it home. She seemed really sad, like she's all messed up inside." 

"Well, I'm sure she will. To some weird planet where all the animals are rocks!" She picked a rock up off the sand and shook it, making it look like it was angry. 

"No! Rock animals! My only weakness!" Steven put the back of his hand on his forehead and leaned away, pretending to be scared. They both laughed while the gems tended to the van. Garnet patted Greg on the shoulder as he cried for his beautiful yet incredibly dirty road home. 

Pearl was standing on the edge of the beach next to Pink, gazing up at the stars that printed the night sky. "So… Lapis is off to Homeworld." 

"It would seem so." Pink said while never taking her eyes off the stars. A second glance and Pearl could tell she was looking at Homeworld's galaxy. 

"What… are we gonna do if they come?" 

"We'll see what happens. For now, we have to wait." 

Steven and Connie continued joking around before Steven stopped and sighed. He looked up at the sky, seeing a bright light in the sky, wrapped around by different blue, yellow, and white lines. Lapis' home. 

"See ya' Lapis… wherever you are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "After getting away from Steven, Pink Diamond is ready to go sicko mode." 
> 
> I actually struggled with writing the fight scene with Pink. I wasn't sure if I wanted her to actually use her destructive powers, but I think it fits with how they work. 
> 
> If you enjoyed the chapter, or the story, leave kudos or a comment on anything you like or didn't like!
> 
> The kudos please me:}


	11. Coach Steven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After seeing the fusion Sugilite, Steven decides that he's gonna get stronger to be useful to the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ello ello ello boys, you gotta loisence for all this muckin about?
> 
> Finally back for a new chapter! After this one, I might take a while before the next one, since school is starting back. Still, I'll try to get it done and out to the wilds of AO3.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

# Coach Steven

  
  


As dawn crept over the clear sky, Steven and the gems warped to the desert. 

In front of the warp pad was a gigantic glowing tower, made up of what looked like hundreds of pillars. At the base of the tower was a white crystal heart, that had thin pipes running into different pillars. 

"Woah! What magical place of mysteries is this!?" Steven was the first to say, holding his hands up to his face. 

"Well-" Pink started to say, but was cut off by Pearl. "Oh I'm so glad you asked!" 

"This was once a communications hub for gem kind! Lately, it's been reactivated and transmitting random bursts of electromagnetic interference." Pearl droned on as she walked up to one of the pillars and rested a hand on it. 

"What's that mean?" Steven asked as he messed with strings on his hoodie. 

"It's hurting television." Garnet said from behind, making him scream. "Noo! I'll save you television!" He quickly tried to kick and push a nearby pillar, causing no damage. 

Amethyst grabbed him with one hand and held him up, "Sorry, but we're gonna need a Steven at least this strong for the job!" She shapeshifted into a larger, more buffer Steven, making him gasp. 

"It's all the me I could be!" He put his hands on his cheeks as he looked at her in admiration. Amethyst put him down and began punching the pillar, only managing to break off a little rock. 

Pearl caught the rock with two fingers, "Amethyst, we could be here all day taking out each of these pillars individually." 

"Unless we had another Steven to help!" Pink cut in before shapeshifting into a similar buff Steven. 

"Even more me!" Steven said with stars in his eyes. Pearl shook her head, "We need to stop messing around and get this started already." 

"Ugh… you're right," Pink shifted back to her normal form before smiling at Pearl. "How about we fuse into _Morganite_ and cut this thing down?" 

"What we need is _Sugilite._ " Garnet said, making the short gem scream in excitement. 

"Oh yeah! Let's mash it up! Bigger! Better! Hahaha!" Amethyst clung to Garnet's arm as she began laughing. 

"Hold your horses!" Steven said before pointing at the two, "Are you two gonna become a gem fusion?" Amethyst excitedly screamed in response, and Steven shortly joined her. 

"Wait! Garnet, think about this." Pearl said, lowering her voice and holding up her hands. "You and Amethyst can be a little… unstable… when your personalities combine." She quickly closed her hands into fists. 

"We need to be careful! Fuse with me instead!" She put her hands up to her chest, and her voice was on the verge of begging.

"I think Pearl has a point. Sugilite's a bit reckless... sometimes." Pink said as she crossed her arms and frowned, glancing off to the side. 

"Sugilite can bring this tower down faster than the others. We'll only be fused for a short while." Garnet explained, turning to walk away. 

"Oh yeah! Let's wreck this joint!" Amethyst yelled as she joined Garnet, running away from the others. Steven watched in anticipation as Pearl turned away and stuck her nose up to the sky. 

As Garnet started her dance, moving her hips while holding her hands up, Pearl covered Steven's eyes. 

"Pearl! C'mon, I wanna see!" Steven tried to take her hands off his face, peeking through her fingers. As Amethyst charged at Garnet, the two fused and let out a dark light. It faded away when Sugilite formed, putting on a long pair of purple shades. 

Sugilite cackled and cracked her knuckles, "I forgot how great it feels to be me!" 

"That's Sugilite?!" Steven asked out loud as he looked up at the large fusion. 

"You got it baby! Hey Steven, wanna see something cool?" Sugilite bent down on her knees and smiled at Steven. 

"Yeah!" The boy yelled in excitement as he raised his hands in the air. The fusion stood up and held out her hands. Two gauntlets appeared and lifted up into the sky, and she formed a whip and latched onto it. 

The newly formed flail crashed into the ground, making Steven gasp and hold his head. 

"Are you gonna smash stuff with your wrecking ball thingy?!" Steven asked as he pointed at the large flail. 

"That's the plan, where should I start?" Sugilite asked, and the boy quickly pointed at a pillar. 

"Do that one!" Steven said as he pointed. The fusion quickly swung the flail around, hitting the tower and causing rocks to fly everywhere. Some flew past the others, and Pearl groaned in frustration. 

"I think we should go." Pearl said angrily as she grabbed Steven by the shoulders. 

"No way! This is awesome." Steven countered as he frowned. 

"I think Pearl's right. This is kinda... dangerous!" Pink said, raising her voice in surprise as a large chunk of rock landed nearby. 

"Watch it!" Pearl yelled as she kicked away a rock, but one flew past her and hit Steven in the eye. The boy landed on his back and held his face. 

As Pink ran over and helped Steven, Pearl turned and snarled at Sugilite. "Uhh! You're just… too much!" 

"Maybe you're just too little!" The fusion snarled back, still destroying pillars. 

"Come on, we're leaving!" Pearl said frustratedly as she marched to the warp pad. Pink picked Steven up and carried him under her shoulder. 

"But what about Sugilite?" The boy asked as he covered his right eye. 

"She can find her own way home!" Pearl yelled as the warp lit up and sent them away. A second later, a large boulder crushed the warp pad, shattering it into pieces. 

* * *

**_Later…_ ** ****

Lars and Sadie were lounging around in the Big Donut when the door swung open and revealed Steven. He was wearing a red tank top with a star on it. Gauze was wrapped around his right eye, and over it was a sharp pair of sunglasses. 

"Sup." He said, lifting his head. Sadie ran from behind the counter and stopped next to Lars. 

"Woah, Steven! What happened to you?" She asked as Steven walked up and leaned against the table Lars was at. 

"Oh, just a lil' battle damage from our last mission!" He smirked as he took off his sunglasses and hung them from his top. 

"Like what?" Lars asked, making Steven smile. He lifted the gauze up and revealed his right eye, which was dark purple. Some of it was already healed, but did not blend well with the rest. 

Sadie and Lars winced as they saw it, and Sadie spoke up. "Jeez… does it… hurt?" 

"Only a little, but I got some of it healed. It should be gone by tomorrow." Steven said, putting the gauze back over his eye. "But I need to get tougher." He put a fist on his chest and frowned. 

Lars chuckled and picked up a jar of herring, "Well Steven, If I wasn't so modest, I'd whip out my six pack and show you… what… a real man… looks like!" Lars struggled to open the jar, and quickly gave up. Sadie stepped up with a smile, looking away. 

Lars sighed and handed it to her, and she quickly popped the lid off. He took it from her and frowned, "I'm not saying thanks." After Sadie punched him, Steven gasped and had an idea.

"That's it! We all need a work out!" He jumped up and spread his arms out. "Let's do it! Let's work out together!" 

He pointed at Sadie, "You can beat up Lars!" Then he pointed at the lanky teen, "And you don't have to starve to death if Sadie divorces you!" 

"Hey! We're not married!" Lars said angrily, making Steven smirk, "And I know just the guy to help us out!" 

Lars and Sadie looked at each other skeptically as Steven put his hands on his sides. 

* * *

Steven, Sadie, and Lars stood on the beach in front of the boy's house. The two workers were now dressed in gym clothes, along with Steven. In front of them was a crudely made work out area. A set of planks barely resembled a bench, and a barbell was set above it. A few tires were placed around, and a ladder sat on two bookcases and two stacks of random objects. 

"Woah, this looks great." Steven commented with a smile. They walked up to a workbench, where Greg was asleep on a piece of wood. 

"Hey dad!" Steven said, waking Greg out of his sleep. 

"Woah? Wha…" The piece of wood fell off as he looked around, then saw Steven. "Oh, hey Steven! Do you like it? It was the best I could do on such short notice." 

Lars picked up a stick with two empty paint cans attached, and it broke apart in his hand, "No kidding." 

"Well, I might join you kids, show you how it's done." Greg said, trying to flex his arm. If there was any muscle, you couldn't see it. 

"Sure! The more, the meatier!" Steven said, swinging an arm around. "Oh! We'll need sweatbands!" The boy ran up to the beach house, while the three others began their exercise. 

As Greg was lifting up a dumbbell, Pink walked by and stopped a few feet away. Greg looked over at her and smiled. 

"Hey Pink Diamond, here to check out some buff studs?" Greg asked jokingly, smiling at her. 

"Hmm… nope!" The pink gem shrugged with a smile, and walked away to the house. She saw Steven standing on the porch, looking down at her. 

"Hey Steven, what's all this junk?" She asked as she stepped up and pointed at the makeshift gym. 

"We're starting a gym! I'm gonna get super strong! Like Sugilite!" Steven said as he held up his arms. Pink frowned slightly, but quickly replaced it with a faux smile. 

"That's great Steven. Although why with… what're their names... Larry and Sarah?" 

"You mean Lars and Sadie?" Steven asked. Pink nodded, "Yeah! Those guys." 

"They just agreed to join me! They wanna get strong too." Steven said, before the front door opened and Pearl stepped out. 

"Oh, hello. I was wondering if you've… seen… what is that?" Pearl stopped herself as she pointed at the albeit, trashy workout area on the beach. 

"It's a gym!" Steven exclaimed, "I'm gonna get strong like Sugilite!" 

Pearl glanced at Pink and frowned. "Well, Steven… this might not be a good idea." 

"What? But I want to be strong, and useful to the team!" Steven explained as he held his fists up. 

"Steven, there are different ways… of being strong." Pearl said as she held her hands close.

"But I wanna be strong in the real way! C'mon, let's get beefy!" Steven took out a sweatband and put it around his head with a pumped smile. 

Pearl frowned angrily and turned to the door, "I'd rather not." She walked inside and quickly closed it behind herself.

Steven frowned, but looked back to Pink with a smile. "What about you? You wanna get beefy?!" 

"Um… sure Steven!" Pink said before a sweatband appeared from light on her head. "Let's get beefy!" She giggled slightly, smiling down at him. 

"Alright!" Steven yelled as he stuck his fists up in the air. "Let's go!" He ran down from the porch and towards the gym, Pink following right behind him. 

Inside the house, Pearl watched from the window with a sad look in her eye. She quickly gritted her teeth and turned away. 

" _Why do you have to look up to her?_

_Aside from in a literal sense~_

_Don't you know that a power that big~_

_Comes with a bigger expense~_

_And can't you see that she's out of control!~_

_And overzealous~_

_I'm telling you for your own good and not because I'm-~_

_I can show you how to be strong… in the real way~_

_And I know that we can be strong in the real way!~_

_And I want to inspire you~_

_I want to be your rock~_

_And when I talk~_

_It lights a fire in you!~"_

Pearl was standing in the kitchen by the time she stopped her song. After a short pause, she looked back at the window, "Lights a fire in you." She muttered before slowly walking towards the temple door. 

Later on the beach, Steven put down a stereo and held up a megaphone. "Who's ready to get buff? I don't wanna see your gut! I wanna see your guts!" He yelled as he held up a fist. 

As he walked around and talked through the megaphone, Sadie spoke up. "Hey Steven, maybe you can work out a bit, too?" 

"I have been though." The boy said, lowering the megaphone.

" _We've_ been working out! You've just been yelling through that thing." Lars said, clearly annoyed at him. 

"But you're doing a great job at pumping us up! Well, most of us." Greg said as he glanced over at Pink, who was putting a crab in a tire. 

"Thanks! But I need to get strong, too. That's why," Steven went and put four tires over himself. "I'm switching to four-wheel drive… ahhh! Crab!" 

He began running around frantically as the others looked on in surprise. Greg quickly chased after him, "Slow down son! Let me help you!" 

While the two were running around, Pink nervously laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Hehe… uh oh." 

* * *

**One day later**

Steven groaned as he laid in bed. All of his body was hurting, probably because of a viscous crustacean attack.

"Steven, come on! We're ready to get started! We can't work out without you!" He heard Sadie yell from outside, making him slowly lift himself up. 

"Be there in a sec!" Steven yelled, pushing himself off the bed. Groaning in pain, he slowly stepped down the stairs, holding the wall for support. 

Once he made it to the door, he heard the temple door open up. Looking back, he saw Pearl and Pink walk out, and Pearl frantically waved her arms. 

"I don't understand! I tried to warp back and check on them, but nothing happened!" Pearl said worriedly, and Pink frowned. 

"You don't think they-" She was cut off as the house suddenly shook, and the others could be heard yelling outside. Steven, Pink, and Pearl quickly ran outside and saw Sugilite approaching from the ocean. 

Once Sugilite arrived on the beach, everyone ran away in fear. "I'm bored!" The fusion roared angrily.

"It's Sugilite!" Steven said while smiling. Pearl and Pink quickly ran down to the beach and approached the fusion. 

"Y-You're back!" Pearl said while holding up her hands timidly. Sugilite pointed down at them, "You two left me behind!" 

"We just thought you didn't need help!" Pink said, glancing at Pearl anxiously. Pearl nodded quickly, "Yes, now why don't you separate and we can all relax?" 

The two gems were met with a backhand from Sugilite, sending them flying backwards. "No!" The fusion yelled as Pearl and Pink landed on their backs. 

"Listen to me! You two have been fused for too long! You're losing yourselves!" Pearl said as she sat up, sneering at Sugilite. 

"I am myself! And I'm sick of being split up! So you better get used to me baby!" Sugilite pointed at her before lifting a foot. "And get this junk off my beach!" She brought it down onto the makeshift gym, smashing it to bits. 

"Why is she wrecking dad's gym? Why is she hurting you guys?" Steven asked as he approached Pearl slowly.

"Steven… get out of here!" Pearl grabbed the scuff of his shirt and threw him back. He landed on his stomach and groaned, "I can't move!" 

Pink stood up and summoned her sword, while Pearl pulled out her spear. "What? You lookin' to fight!?" Sugilite yelled angrily. 

"You'll thank us later!" Pink yelled as she and Pearl leapt at the fusion. Pearl managed to get a swipe in before being slapped away. Pink watched Pearl crash into the beach, which caused her to suffer the same fate. Sugilite punched her away as Greg rushed over to Steven. 

"C'mon kid!" Greg said as he grabbed onto Steven, holding him up. "Dad! No! The gems!" The boy said as he reached a hand out to them. 

Pearl stood up and leapt in from Sugilite's side, hitting off the fusion's sunglasses. Greg and Steven gasped at the act. 

"You think you're something?" Sugilite said before headbutting the gem. "You!" She punched Pearl up into the air. "Ain't!" Jumping up, Sugilite brought two fists down. " _Nothing_!" 

Pearl crashed into the beach again, sending a cloud of sand and dirt into the air. Pink rushed over to the white gem, but was thrown back slightly as Sugilite's flail crashed down next to them. 

Steven and Greg slid in the sand, and the boy whined, "My muscles…" 

"Steven!" Pearl yelled as she grabbed her spear and looked back. Her knees fell from under her, and she supported herself with her spear. 

"I'm sorry, S-Steven," Pearl muttered. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm not strong enough to take her down." Tears slowly climbed down her cheek. 

"I'm not strong enough to do anything." She whimpered as Sugilite stepped closer. The fusion didn't hesitate as she swung her flail over her head and down on Pearl. 

"Nooo!" Steven cried in horror as he watched, a tear forming in his eye. The flail smashed down on her, but a loud ringing made them stop. A large, pink, interlocking shield hovered over Pearl, with tiny thin cracks running down it. 

Pearl looked up in confusion before a hand laid down on her shoulder. She glanced over and met eyes with Pink, "W-What?"

"C'mon Pearl. Don't give up." The pink gem said as she gave her a kind smile. 

"B-But I'm not strong enough to protect… anyone." Pearl muttered as she closed her eyes. 

"That's not true Pearl," Pink said as she frowned sadly. "We may… or may not be strong enough, but I definitely know who is." The pink gem held out a hand to her, and Pearl stared at it with wide eyes. The implication was glaring at her, and she slowly stood up with effort. 

Pearl felt a smirk start at the edge of her lip, and she took the hand. Pink smiled widely before quickly spinning her hand around and bringing Pearl closer. 

They both glowed white and exploded in a light pink cloud. Sugilite growled and stepped back, while Steven's mouth fell open in awe. 

The interlocked shields dropped and disappeared. The clouds blew away and revealed a new light purple fusion standing with four arms stretched above her head. 

Her hair was untamed, and it still fell back into wild points. It was a mix of light pink and cream, and had highlights of purple and white. 

She wore a buttoned up pink and white vest, small floating white balls mimicking buttons. A cream colored blouse with poofy sleeves sat under her vest, and her four arms shared her sleeves. Puffy light pink shorts, star cut out gloves, and a pair of short boots finished her form _._

"Crikey, it's been a while since I've had a go!" The fusion said with a smile before placing her hands on her hips. She looked up at Sugilite and her smile faltered, "So you're the _dog_ givin' us a hassle." 

"They really think you can beat me!?" Sugilite questioned as she held up her flail intimidatingly. 

Morganite summoned Pearl's spear and Pink's sword, then spun the two around before connecting them. Together, they transformed into a large javelin, which was nearly twice the height of herself. 

"I don't know, but I'm gonna be shovin' this thing in ya' chest by the afternoon!" Morganite said with a smirk as she pointed at Sugilite with a finger gun. 

Sugilite finally had enough and punched at the rival fusion. Morganite easily dodged the punch, jumping up and spinning backwards. Sugilite yelled angrily as she readied her flail to attack. 

Morganite drew her javelin back with two arms and waited for Sugilite to swing. As the flail curved around and headed straight at her, she charged forward and threw the javelin. Sand flew up from the force of the throw. As it soared through the air, a light pink trail tailing behind it. 

It struck the flail and shattered it into pieces, sending it across the beach. Sugilite snarled and charged at her. Morganite brought two of her lower arms up, and a pink cloud appeared around her. It became larger and thicker, and soon they couldn't be seen anywhere. 

Sugilite punched at the cloud, which barely reacted to her at all. She heard a loud cough from above her, and she looked up. Morganite was floating above, her hands behind her head. The clouds disappeared as Morganite smiled, "Fell for that one, didn't 'cha?"

She reached out two arms, and the javelin she threw zoomed back to her hands. "Sorry, but I'm winnin' this fight!" She aimed the javelin at Sugilite and began spinning around. Her javelin glowed a bright white, and shined a pink light.

Sugilite backed up in surprise, rushing to summon her flail. It was too late. Morganite smiled and threw her javelin, causing a loud explosion-like sound. 

Sugilite froze as a large hole replaced her stomach, the javelin having gone straight through. She exploded in a cloud, leaving Garnet and Amethyst on the beach. 

Morganite landed slowly and unfused with light. Pearl quickly ran over to Garnet and Amethyst, "Are you two alright?" She yelled in concern. 

Garnet wheezed, "Yeah… Sugilite just... overworked our forms. It's… a little painful." 

"My stomach is… on fire." Amethyst moaned as she lifted a hand. 

"That was so awesome!" Steven cried as he was held by Greg. "You guys were epic! Who was that!?" 

"That was Morganite!" Pink said before pumping her fists up, "Gosh, I'm feeling pumped!" 

"Me too! How about we all go on a mission!" Pearl said excitedly as she put her hands on her hips. 

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Pink exclaimed happily as she wrapped an arm around Pearl and laughed. 

As the two excitedly rambled on, Amethyst sighed, "How long are they gonna keep this up?"

"We deserve it, take it like a gem." Garnet replied as Sadie and Lars walked over. 

"What the heck just happened?" Lars questioned as he looked at them in confusion. "Drop and give me twenty!" Steven yelled as he raised a fist. 

The sky became a faint orange as they stood on the beach, and the clouds circled, quite literally, overhead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you guys enjoy the chapter? Biggest question I've got right now. You can answer that by leaving a comment and kudos!
> 
> Also, if you couldn't tell, Morganite has an Aussie accent, aka Australian. I thought it would be interesting since Rainbow 2.0 has a british one. 
> 
> Anyway, until next time!


	12. Warp Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a hunting mission, Steven sees something outside the warp. Once he finds out what it is, he needs to keep a new burden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 12!
> 
> School is a little crazy, so now I'm gonna have a lotta free time. Aka, I've possibly got coronavirus! Woohoo!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

# Warp Tour

  
  


On a clear, sunny evening Steven and the gems walked through a meadow of flowers. Pearl and Amethyst were the first ones to walk out into a small clearing, where the warp pad sat in the middle.

"Wow, I can't believe that went so well!" The lanky gem said as she smiled, putting her hands on her hips.

"That was kinda cool when you hit it with your spear and it went, 'bing-bong!' Bsh!" Amethyst made an explosion sound as she waved her hands. Pearl blushed and held up a hand to her mouth, "And the way you were circling around it, almost looked like strategy~" 

Amethyst blushed, "W-well, I can do that stuff, too." And rubbed her arm while looking away. 

As Garnet sent a gem away, Pink emerged from the meadow with Steven on her shoulders. His eyes were puffy and red, along with his nose and cheeks.

"Sorry I couldn't help… I think these flowers are making me-Ah… Ahhh…" He looked to the side and sneezed. "Sorry."

"Steven, you're supposed to sneeze into your antecubital fossa." Pearl explained, making Steven look at her confusingly. "My what?"

"Your… this thing." Pearl pointed at her inner elbow. Steven was put down as they got onto the warp pad. Warping away, Steven looked at his elbow before feeling the urge to sneeze again. 

The gems noticed this, and Amethyst quickly pointed at Pink, "Do it at her!" The tall gem quickly grabbed her and held her up like a shield, "Get her Steven!" Pearl, meanwhile, panicked and tried moving away from him. "Steven, your fossa!" 

Steven sneezed and began floating up, before his head was out of the warp stream. "Wha… woah!" 

He looked out at what appeared to be space. Large, black clouds swirled and moved wildly, large white bolts of lightning shooting out of them. A distant warp chime gained his attention, and looked down. A new warp stream appeared, and a circular object shot up through it. 

"What the-" He was pulled back into the warp stream, and he saw Pearl holding him. 

"Careful! It's incredibly dangerous to stick your head out of the stream." Pearl said, as Garnet flicked off frozen snot from his nose. "There's not much air, and it's incredibly cold." 

"Yeah, what if you got dragged out?" Pink said as she put a hand on her hip. "You could've been turned into an icicle." 

"Guys! I saw something out there!" Steven yelled as he escaped from Pearl's arms. "Something warping!" 

"What? That's impossible. Are you sure your vision isn't blurry from pollen?" Pearl asked, and Steven frowned. 

"I can see perfectly… Pearl?" He squinted to see if he was right. "I know there's something out there!" 

"Steven, nothing's been out there for a long, long time." Garnet said, while Pink nodded next to her. 

"Yeah, you probably just saw lightning or something." Steven frowned at them and crossed his arms. 

* * *

Steven stared at the ceiling, occasionally looking down at the warp pad. His mind was still taking in the warp encounter. So much so, that he freaked out when he heard the refrigerator open. 

"Ahh! Amethyst." He said in an annoyed tone, looking down at the purple gem. 

"Hey Steve! Want some macaroni cheese?" She asked as she ripped open a bag of cheese. Steven sighed as Amethyst began walking away to her room. 

"Wait! I can't sleep." He quickly said, stopping her in her tracks.

"Why? Are you scared that thing you saw warping right into the house and attacking you in your sleep?" Amethyst asked, each word making Steven retreat under his blanket. 

"No?" He whispered under the blanket, holding it up to cover his face. 

"Oh! Good, good… nighty night. Don't let the warp monster bite!" Amethyst teased as she walked into her room and let the door close. Steven could hear her laughter all the way from his bed. 

He huffed and threw the blanket off, standing up. Taking out a water gun from his closet, he walked down to the front door and narrowed his eyes. 

"Looks like I'm not sleeping tonight." He said as he glared at the warp pad. 

* * *

**Next Morning**

Steven was fast asleep with his water gun in his lap, leaning against the door. 

"Steven, we have a surprise for you!" Two fingers began tapping on his head, and he almost instantly woke up. 

"Ahh! Aghh!" He began spraying down whoever was in front of him, which turned out to be Pink Diamond.

He soon stopped once he realized who it was. "Oh… sorry Pink." 

"Steven! That was very uncalled for." Pearl reprimanded, before Garnet pulled a tray of cookies out from behind herself. "Guess you're not getting any cookies." 

"Oooh! Let me have 'em!" Amethyst said, reaching for the tray. Garnet complied, letting the short gem eat the cookies. 

"I'm sorry, I just didn't…" 

"Didn't get any sleep." Garnet finished for him, and he yawned, "Maybe." 

"This isn't about that warp thing, is it?" Pink asked as she stood up and wiped water off herself. 

"But it's real! I saw something warping!" Steven argued, before Pearl put her hands on his cheeks. 

"Listen, nothing on Earth can use the warps but us. Do you understand?" Steven began looking away, making Pearl smile. "Steven, nod in agreement if you understand." He moved away, and Pearl held on. 

"Nod in agreement-"

"Okay Pearl, that's enough," Pink interrupted, and the pale gem let go with a frown. 

"Steven, if it's bothering you this much, then I don't see the harm in checking out the warps. Would that make you feel better?"

Steven nodded with a grateful smile as Pearl looked at Pink questioningly. 

* * *

They first warped back to the flower meadow, looking around to see if anything was there. 

"Nothing unusual here." Garnet said before Steven sneezed from allergies, "Bless you."

* * *

Next, they appeared in a large crater, which had a huge, circular orb in the middle. A long piece of duct tape ran along one of its sides. 

"Nothing here either. And the Geode is holding nicely." Pearl said as she put her arms on her hips.

* * *

As they appeared on the top of a forested mountain, Amethyst called out, "Woah, now that's something!" She pointed at a nearby mountain goat, which had a few babies around it. "Steven Jr.'s been busy. That makes you a grandpa!" Amethyst laughed as she looked at Steven. 

"Congratulations." Garnet said as she ruffled his hair. 

"Now you can come visit your grandkids Steven!" Pink said happily, but the boy was getting annoyed.

"Hey, we're getting off task here!" He huffed while putting one hand on the other. 

"We've looked all over. There's nothing out here to find!" Pearl said, her arms crossed. 

Steven looked away, "But you're wrong." He muttered while rolling his eyes, making Pearl turn to him. " _Excuse_ me?"

"I-I mean-" 

"Nothing on Earth can use these warps but us." Pearl said, making Steven look down. 

"Well, what if it came from space?" Steven countered, making Pearl raise a finger and pause. 

"I… don't appreciate your tone." Pearl warned as she pointed at him. 

"Alright, how about we check the Galaxy Warp then? If it's anywhere, it should be there." Pink said, while Steven glared at Pearl. 

"Yes, and then we can be done with this childish hunt." Pearl said angrily, crossing her arms again. 

* * *

They appeared on a large raised platform, which was surrounded by water and jagged rocks. Dotted along the platform was different warp pads, and a large one sat in the middle of them. Pearl quickly stepped off and began walking towards the large warp pad.

"These are the warps that once connected us to other planets. If something tried to come from space, it would be through here," Pearl pointed at the large warp. "But wait! This one is broken, marked inactive by the very depressed cartoon breakfast sticker you placed here _yourself_!"

Steven gasped as she pointed at the sticker, and Amethyst bumped into him. "Welp, Pearl's right, as usual. You get used to it." 

Garnet's hand landed on Steven's head, but he quickly took it off and looked up at her. "We're safe." She said, making Steven frown deeper. 

"Well, I guess so." He muttered as he walked over to the sticker. As Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst talked, Pink frowned and walked over to Steven. 

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked as Steven glanced back at her. 

"Yeah, I guess." He said as he bit down on his lip, glaring at the sticker on the warp. 

"See, now Steven's much better." Pearl said after hearing him. "Now we can put this all behind us!" 

"Finally, that took us all day." Amethyst groaned while putting her arms behind her head. 

"It was important to make Steven feel secure." Garnet said while smiling. 

"Yes, now Steven feels much better." Pearl stated, and Steven finally had enough. 

"I'm a little tired of being told how _I_ **_feel_**!" He screamed while turning on Pearl, glaring at her. "I know I saw something outside the stream!"

"And I know you didn't!" Pearl said, starting off a huge argument between the two. As they fought Pink backed away to Garnet and nudged her shoulder. 

"Garnet, step in or something!" She whispered, while Amethyst watched the fight in amusement. 

"Steven, you just don't know what you're talking about." Pearl said while rolling her eyes. 

"It sounds like… maybe… **_You_ **don't know what I'm talking about!" Steven yelled while pointing a finger at Pearl's chest. Garnet stepped between them, "Alright Steven, that's enough. Let it go." 

He lost his fight in him and looked down, biting his lip again. Pearl huffed and began walking to the warp, Amethyst following her. 

Steven glanced at the large warp pad, looking it up and down warily. 

* * *

**Later that Day**

Steven sat cross legged on the ground in front of the warp. A bowl of macaroni was in his lap, and his eyes were red. 

As he took a bite of macaroni, the warp activated in front of him. He yelped and quickly got to his feet, leaving his bowl to fall on the floor. The warp pad stopped and...

He frowned when he saw Pink, who waved at him. "Hey Steven... you're still here." 

"Yeah." He groaned, frowning when he noticed the spilt macaroni on the floor. Sitting back down, Steven glared back at the warp. Pink frowned and walked over, before sitting down next to him. 

After they sat there in silence, Pink spoke up with a joke, "Y'know, I actually waited to come back. You've been sitting here about fourteen thousand seconds." 

Steven nodded his head slowly, still glaring. Pink looked away worriedly, "Yeah... listen, I know how it feels when people don't… y'know, take you seriously."

Steven looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "Really?" 

"Well, yeah. Back in the day, every time I tried saying anything… I was just overlooked. I… I don't know, It was a long time ago." 

She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck, "I'm just saying, I understand. And I think you're onto something with this warp situation."

"You think so? Ugh, I'm tired of being told I'm wrong! I know I saw something… we just can't find it." Steven muttered the last part out, and crossed his arms. 

"I'm sure we will. Also, are you gonna clean that up?" She pointed at the discarded macaroni, before a loud whistling noise reached their ears. 

A loud crash roared behind them, and they turned to see a small green orb on the floor. A perfect circular hole was now smack dab in the roof. 

Steven and Pink stood up and stared at the orb. The boy began laughing wildly as Pink looked at it in confusion. 

"I was right!" Steven said while stepping up to it, but Pink quickly pulled him away. 

"Be careful!" She warned as she kept an eye on the device. The device suddenly grew out four little legs, making the two recoil slightly. 

The orb began walking to the warp, and Steven quickly put the two together. "It's trying to get to the warp!" 

He quickly got in its way, while Pink walked up behind it. She grabbed it quickly, making it begin wiggling around. 

"Got'cha!" She said as it struggled in her grip. "Go get Pearl and Garnet!" She ordered Steven, before getting hit in the face by the orb. It held up one of its legs, which began sparking with little bolts of electricity. The orb touched her arm, making her yelp and let it go. 

As she held her arm in pain, the orb began making a run for the warp, but got one of its legs grabbed by Steven. 

"Stay. Down!" He warned as he held onto it. It tried shocking him too, but only left small lines riding up his arm. He quickly swung it around and let go. 

The orb smacked into the warp, leaving a small crack. Steven gasped, seeing how badly the throw hurt the orb. With shaky steps, the orb opened up a small port, and shot a glistening liquid at the crack. 

As soon as it hit the crack, the crack began disappearing until it was completely gone. The warp began glowing, making Steven panic. 

"It's trying to warp away!" Pink yelled, before rushing and jumping onto the orb. Steven jumped on too, landing on Pink. 

The warp activated and sent them into a warp stream. Pink continued wrestling with the orb, while Steven joined in with her. That was, until five more orbs flew in from outside the stream. 

"There's more of them!?" Steven said before getting hit in the back by one. They began swarming the two, piling up on each other. Pink and Steven tried pushing them back before the warp stream ended. 

They all fell down on the warp as all of the orbs began letting go and walking away. Steven looked up and saw more around the Galaxy Warp, shooting the weird substance from earlier. Pink let go of the broken orb she had as she looked up at the large warp. 

"What are they doing? Are they fixing it?" Steven asked as he saw the orbs spray around the warp. It was soon completely engulfed by the liquid, and fixed in an instant. 

"I… I don't know!" Pink said as she looked at the warp in horror. Suddenly, it activated and caused the two to gasp. Pink quickly grabbed Steven and ran up to a pillar. She jumped up and created a shield under herself, keeping them in place. 

The two watched with wide eyes as a gem appeared on the warp, who looked around with a bored frown. Five floating fingers acted as her hands, and they formed a translucent screen. 

"Log date eight-one-seven-three. This is Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG, performing Earth hub maintenance check." The gem, Peridot, said aloud as she tapped on her screen. 

Steven looked at Pink and whispered, "Peridot, her name is Peridot." But Pink covered his mouth in a panic. As they listened to Peridot, the green gem stopped with a startled gasp. 

The two eavesdroppers watched her look down at the broken, leaking orb, apparently named a "Flask Robonoid". It lifted one of its legs, and pointed it straight at them. The two froze, expecting Peridot to catch on. Instead, the green gem put her foot down on the robonoid and crushed it. 

Steven gasped at the action, thinking of it as if it were her baby. Pink scowled as Peridot continued talking while stepping down from the warp. The green gem turned around and stopped. She bent down and took off the sticker Steven placed on the warp. 

She looked around before hastily walking back up on the warp. "This site may have been compromised." Her gem glowed before she took a large green device and placed it on the warp pad. After she warped away, it exploded and deactivated all of the Robonoids nearby. 

Pink and Steven came out from hiding and ran to the warp. "Who was that gem? Are more gems coming here?!" Steven questioned as he looked up to Pink. She looked terrified. 

The pink gem didn't respond, and her hands shook violently. She never responded to him, just staring at the warp pad. "We should go tell the others about this." Steven muttered as he frowned at the warp. 

Steven stepped back in surprise when a small crack glowing pink appeared between his feet. He yelped and looked up at Pink, who was radiating a pink aura. 

"A-Are you okay?" Steven asked, reaching a hand out to her. A sharp pinch on his finger quickly made him recoil. He looked at his finger and saw a jagged but thin cut, appearing more like cracks, on the end. His eyes stayed on it in horror, before he noticed something strange. A light blue butterfly flew into his view, peaking from between his fingers. If it wasn't for the stinging on his finger, than his eyes would've never left it. 

His cut began leaking blood, and Steven wiped it on his shirt to get it off. To his surprise, Pink finally moved. 

She slowly walked towards the warp while her hands squeezed into fists. She stopped at the stairs of the warp, bringing her arms over her head. Pink shields formed overhead, lined with spikes. It soon made a large spiked wall, floating in the air. 

Steven watched as Pink brought down her hands and the wall fell, making him bring up his arms to block his face. Fragments of the warp flew across the Galaxy Warp, and a few small rocks hit Steven's arms. 

After silence fell around him, he uncovered his face and looked at Pink. She was still glowing, now standing in front of a small crater where the warp used to be. 

Steven was taken aback by her. He hasn't ever seen her... glow before. It made him feel nervous, just adding to the heat of his new cut. The pink gem's glow slowly died down, until she was normal again. Her hands still stayed as fists, but loss the stress in them. 

Steven walked over and stopped at the edge of the crater, "I… guess they can't come back anymore?" He frowned at just the amount of damage done. He couldn't even imagine having the power to do... _that_.

After getting no response, he put a hand on his gem. "We should go tell Garnet and Pearl." 

" _No_." Pink muttered, making Steven look at her in confusion. She was glaring at the crater, gritting her teeth. 

"What? Why not?" He questioned while looking at her in surprise. ' _Why wouldn't we tell them!?_ '

"If they find out that gems are coming back to Earth... they're gonna freak out. We have to keep this a secret." 

"Like we did with the Secret Team?" Steven asked, making Pink nod slowly. She still never met eyes with him. "But we disbanded the Secret Team! We said we would be one team again." He was so confused. It didn't make any sense!

"Well, just think of this as an extension, Steven. Think of this as our own team. Okay?" Pink asked, turning to him and getting down on her knees. She finally looked down at him with a reassuring smile. He could see how forced it was, but another part of him wanted to just go along with it. Maybe it was the aura she now had around her. But that glowing...

"Steven," He looked up at her. "We're doing this for _them_." She put her hands on his shoulders and grew her smile. He glanced back at the crater, eyes examining the edges, before slowly nodding. 

"Okay. I'll keep it a secret." He gave a light smile at her, before she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Steven. Please, let's not talk of this again." He could hear a distant happiness in her voice. She pulled away and smiled again, this time with the sincerity in it. 

"So... What about the warp? Aren't the gems gonna ask about it?" Steven pointed at the crater, causing Pink to rub the scruff of her neck. 

"We'll tell them a corrupted gem destroyed it. Here," She looked around before finding a small piece of rubble. Picking it up in her hands, she crushed it in her hands before a light twinkle appeared near her hands. Steven watched curiously as she opened her hands and revealed a now shiny pink rock. She created a bubble around it and sent it away, "There! Now they'll believe it more." 

"How'd you do that with your hands?!" Steven asked in surprise. Pink winked at him, "Magic." She waved her hands to the side in an arch, making him laugh softly. 

"Anyway, if they ask about the warp thing, just pretend that you agree that you saw nothing." Her face gained a tinge of seriousness, and Steven nodded. 

"Yes ma'am!" He gave a fake salute, making Pink snort and mimic him, giving a salute of her own. The tension had finally died out from the air as the two began giggling. 

"Anyways, let's get all of these weird robots out of here." Pink said as she picked up a Flask Robonoid. Steven agreed and picked two up, carrying them under his arms and accidentally getting some of the weird green goop they had in them on his shirt. He groaned disappointedly, "Ahh, this shirt was new!" 

As the two cleaned up the Galaxy Warp, a pink and blue light shined from a multicolored star in the sky. The black night sky, blanketed with stars, gained a beautiful pink and blue hue that week. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was that? Was that good?
> 
> I don't know, you tell me by leaving a comment, or kudos!
> 
> I've been playing Mad Max too much, cause now I'm thinkin of apocalypse gems. Just imagine Pearl driving around in the interceptor while Amethyst acts as Chumbucket.


	13. Rose's Scabbard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While on a mission, Steven finds one of Rose's lost artifacts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, how long has it been? A week or so?
> 
> I've started thinking about doing a mini series(work) related to this fic about things not shown in the previous chapters. I don't know if I should, so tell me what you think after reading this chapter.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

# Rose's Scabbard

"Wow! This place is awesome!" Steven's voice cut through the air as he and the gems warped to the middle of a giant field. Giant, tangled strawberries completely covered the landscape, and weapons mixed in with them. White butterflies dotted along the immense size of the field. Steven jumped off the warp pad and ran up to a large hammer, admiring the full scale of the weapon. 

"This was once a huge battleground, fought on by hundreds of gems during the war!" Pearl explained, walking past Steven with a hand on her hip. "Each material weapon here was left by a gem over five thousand years ago!" 

"That's awesome! Can I get a weapon? I've been needing one." Steven asked while picking up a long, broken sword. 

"Well, these look a little dangerous for you to use. At least, while you're untrained." Pearl said, taking the sword from him. 

"Doesn't mean you can't go in punching things." Pink poked into the conversation, throwing two punches at the air playfully. 

"Hmph… while that is a… strategy. I think it would be a perfect time for you to begin learning how to defend yourself Steven." Pearl continued, putting the tip of the sword she had into the ground. 

"Although it might be hard for you to use one of these." Garnet said as she picked up a gigantic axe, which was nearly three times her size. 

"Well, can I go and pick out a weapon then? I promise to be careful!" Steven asked while grabbing Pearl's arm, looking up at her with a begging smile.

"Sure, but don't hurt yourself now." Pearl said with a grin, making Steven smile and quickly look around. He searched through bushes and walked past different kinds of swords, axes, and bows. All were either rusted, trapped in the bushes, or didn't look cool enough.

While he was walking, his foot caught the edge of something in the ground, making him trip. As he groaned and stood back up, his eyes caught a pink shimmer. 

He grabbed hold of it and pulled it out, revealing it to be some kind of holster. "Guys, I think I found something!" 

Steven quickly ran to the gems, holding it out in front of him. Pearl gasped as the others looked in silent surprise. 

"Your mother's scabbard, but what is it doing here?" Pearl said as she took it and examined the pink scabbard. It appeared just the same as it had when it was made. 

"Woah, I haven't seen that in a while." Pink said, looking over Pearl's shoulder.

"It was mom's?" Steven asked, "Did she fight here?" 

"That's right! And I fought alongside her!" Pearl said while putting the scabbard close to her chest. 

"Man, I wish I could've seen it!" Amethyst said while putting her hands on her hips. 

"No you don't. Countless gems were destroyed here. It was a maelstrom of destruction and dea-"

"B-But we won!" Pink interrupted Garnet as she stepped in front of her. "And all of us together fought for our new home, and made a stand against our rulers!" 

Steven's eyes gained stars as he imagined the gems during the war. He didn't know if all the guitars, eagles, and explosions were accurate, but that didn't matter to him. 

* * *

After they warped back into the house, Amethyst and Garnet walked to the temple door with a handful of weapons. 

Steven, Pearl, and Pink still stood on the warp. Pearl muttered to herself about Rose as Steven looked up to Pink. "What was mom like?" 

The pink gem smiled and looked down with a reminiscent grin, "She was smart, caring, and brave. I don't think I've ever seen her scared of anything." 

"She was very courageous, Steven," Pearl added. "And brilliant, and… beautiful." The pale gem looked down to him with a caring smile. "Sometimes, you look just like her." 

The boy looked up at the painting hanging above the door, and turned back to Pearl with an emotional smile. "Really?"

"Kinda," Pink said with a chuckle, while Pearl looked up at her. "But some of her really shines through you." 

Her face fell as the house shook from Garnet and Amethyst trying to get the giant axe from earlier into the temple. She stepped off the warp and walked over to them, offering help, leaving Pearl and Steven alone.

Steven put a hand on his gem as Pearl looked down at the scabbard in her hands. "Hey Steven, maybe you should hold onto this." 

She handed the scabbard back to Steven, who smiled in appreciation. "Thanks Pearl! If anything comes at me, I'll bop them with this!" 

He swung the scabbard around like a weapon, making Pearl shake her head slightly. Sometimes she forgot there were... barely two who actually _knew_ anything about swords. 

"That's just the scabbard Steven. It held your mother's sword. Nothing else could fit so perfectly inside, and for all this time, it's been incomplete." 

"Well, let's complete it! Where's the sword?" Steven asked as a loud scraping noise caught his and Pearl's attention. The three gems next to them got the axe inside the temple, and closed the door behind themselves. 

Pearl quickly bent down near Steven and whispered, "Can you keep a secret?" 

* * *

**Later** ****

Pink was alone in the house while lying down against Lion, who was biting down on a translucent pink bubble. 

As she stroked the pink lion's mane, the warp pad chimed and revealed Steven and Pearl. The pale gem looked frustrated as Steven ran over to her. 

"Hey Pink, we know where mom's sword is now!" Steven said as he put his arms out. 

"Really? Where is it?" The pink gem asked as she stood up, with Lion doing the same shortly after. 

Steven got next to Lion and put his arm into its mane, making a small glow appear around it. As he did so, Pink looked at him curiously. ' _When could it do THAT?_ '

"Woah, how long have you been able to do that?" Pink asked as she raised a finger to her chin. 

"For a while now… aha!" Steven pulled his arm out, singing a small tune as he did so. A long, pink sword with a rose-engraved pommel was now in his grasp. The grip of the sword was a little too large, making him grab it with two hands. It was heavy too, but he tried not to show. 

"Rose's sword, but how did it get in there?" Pearl asked as she took it from Steven, glancing over to Lion. She walked up and put her hand against its mane, making it growl at her. 

"Does Lion have something to do with Rose?" She muttered lowly, her face falling into a frown. 

"That's probably why he's pink." Pink pointed out jokingly, making Pearl turn on her.

"But Rose didn't have a lion." 

"It seems like her stuff in there." Steven commented, and Pearl turned to him with a frustrated scowl. 

"No! If Rose had a lion, I would've known about it!" She argued as her cheeks gained a light blue from anger. 

"Rose kept stuff from us Pearl, you should know that by now. Besides, it's just some a lion she brought back." Pink said, putting a hand on her shoulder. It was quickly smacked away by the gem, whose scowl deepened. 

"Not from me! I was the one she told everything!" Small tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. 

Pink angrily glowered at her, "Why do you always act like she only went to you? You think she wasn't close to us either!" Pink pointed a finger at her chest, her other hand squeezed into a fist. 

Steven stepped back as the tension of the argument thickened the air. The two continued yelling insults at each other before it finally exploded. Even Lion looked slightly worried, standing up on his front paws. 

"You could never understand how I feel! What we had! You just act like an insolent child! You could _never_ be like **Rose**!" Pearl yelled while Steven winced at just how heated they were getting. He stepped back slowly and got close to Lion. 

"Well, at least I'm not some stupid, _lost_ , **cleaning drone** who constantly feels like she's always better than everyone!" Pink screamed as her arms shook and her pupils became white. A small hint of deep pink could be seen around her cheeks. 

Pearl gasped as she clung onto Rose's sword. She let out a whimper as her scowl fell in pain, and she quickly raised an arm to cover her face. She ran past Steven and Pink to the warp, disappearing as soon as she stepped onto the warp pad. 

"Wait!" Pink quickly called out, her own words rolling in her head like a painful bowling ball. Pearl was already warping away by the time Pink raised an arm out to her. 

Steven glanced at the warp pad and turned his head to Pink, "Is… she going to be okay? That was..." He stopped himself and looked down at the wooden floor in shame. Why didn't he try and stop them? 

The pink gem didn't speak a word as she stared at the warp in regret. Her diamond eyes were strained with horror, appearing as slits than actually diamonds. A tug on the back of her skirt garnered her attention. 

"You gotta talk to her." Steven said, looking her in the eyes. Pink glanced at him with a dejected frown, before slowly nodding. He let go as she walked forward. 

Steven watched as she went to the warp pad, stood on it for a couple of seconds, and was warped away. Lion pushed his head under Steven's arm as the boy bit his lip in worry. 

* * *

Pink appeared in the strawberry fields, looking around before spotting Pearl on the ground. "Pearl!" She called out, making the thin gem look at her and run away. "Wait!" 

She began running after her, slowly gaining distance between her. Pearl jumped ahead onto a floating dirt platform, being held up by nothing. 

"Leave me alone!" Pearl yelled as she looked back at Pink, before hopping onto another platform. Pink hastily chased after her, accidentally tripping on some. Pearl jumped off the last platform and landed on a large floating island ahead, running across it and falling on her knees. 

Once Pink reached the last one Pearl yelled, "Go away!" 

"Pearl, listen to me!" Pink said desperately, but Pearl kept her back to her. After a few seconds, Pink stepped back until the end of her shoes were hanging off the edge of the platform. She breathed in and rushed ahead. She jumped off. 

Her momentum nearly came to a stop when Pearl turned her head and bore into her with a teary eyed glare filled with malice.

Suddenly, she felt herself falling, wind roaring around her. She panicked and summoned a large shield under herself, trying to stop her momentum. 

She hit the shield with a sickening crack, and groaned in pain. Ignoring the burning in her gem, she looked up and saw Pearl peering down at her. The pale gem disappeared, making Pink bite down on the inside of her cheek and grab the edge of her shield. 

It slowly began floating upwards until she reached the top of the island, seeing Pearl sitting on the ground, holding onto Rose's sword in her lap. Pink climbed onto the island, soon letting the shield disappear. 

Walking over to Pearl, she awkwardly paused behind the skinny gem a few feet away. Any words she tried to form were trapped in her mouth. How could she even say anything after what she said? 

Pearl shifted on the ground and examined the blade of the sword, "Go away." She muttered, defeat in her voice. Pink turned to the side, contemplating if she really should. 

"Pearl, I... don't believe that. I really don't. You're not anything I said. You're so much more than that, and you're right." She grabbed her arm, "You and Rose were so much more than the rest of us." 

Pearl turned her head, and what Pink saw surprised her. Thick tears ran down Pearl's cheeks as she sniffled at light speed. It was disturbing to see how destroyed she looked. She seemed to try and glare through the tears, "I-I loved her! And now s-she's gone! Why!? why?" 

She turned back to the sword in her hands to sob, completely ignoring the gem behind her. "Why her? Why take her? Everything I did was for _her._ Why did she go?" 

After silence fell between the two, Pink decided to talk again, "She didn't want to go, Pearl. She told me... she was worried about us. About you." 

"B-but she did it anyway. I just... want her back. She was _everything_ I wished for. Then she left... so fast. Everything was perfect until she was gone." 

"It wasn't."

Pearl looked back at Pink and stopped herself from sobbing. "Not everything was good. We still haven't gotten all of the corrupted gems. This isn't the... First time we've lost someone. We lost _everyone_ Pearl." 

Pink stepped closer, until she was standing by Pearl's side. "Everyone's _gone_ , Rose isn't the first. Yet we keep going. We've been going for the past _5,000_ years. I... miss Rose every single day, and I want her back too. But it _isn't happening_." Pearl realized Pink was crying at this point. "It's just us five... and we need to deal with it. Steven's just as important as Rose." 

She fell silent with Pearl, leaving the wind to dictate the noises around them. Pearl shook her head slowly, barely stopping herself from letting out a choking cry. "But... How do I make it stop? I feel like I can't live without her." 

"Then live without her _with us._ " Pink sat down slowly, being careful not to get too close. "We're all dealing with her loss together. Not... literally, but we still have each other. We can talk and deal with it, but... we also... I don't _know_ anymore." 

"What do you..."

"I'm trying to make you feel better, but I'm horrible at this. I'm just saying random stuff. I'm sorry." She stood up while hiding her face to the side. Pearl watched her slowly walk away and felt ice in her form. 

" _Wait!_ " 

Pink stopped with a few steps, keeping herself faced away. "Wait... please. _I don't want to be alone_." Pearl nearly whispered as she tightened her hands around _Rose's_ sword. Pink turned her head and looked at her with sad eyes. 

"Please... I need this." Pearl said before continuing, "I'm sorry. Just don't leave." ' _Like she did._ ' Stayed in her head, but she wanted to say it just as bad. Pink glanced to the dark sky around them, and soon she nodded. 

She walked back to Pearl's side and sat down with her leg crossed over the other. She never met Pearl's eyes, instead keeping them trained at the big pale moon ahead. Pearl looked at it too while she tried comprehending what Pink said. 

"Together... that's what you said, right?" She looked over to the gem next to her and sighed shakily, "I just... couldn't take it. Rose was everything to me, that I couldn't _accept_ it.

"She took me in... when I escaped." Finally, Pink glanced over at Pearl with a hidden spark of surprise. "She found me and saw how scared... how _fragile_ I was, and helped me in a way no one did. She taught me how to wield a sword, and how to make decisions for myself... _me,_ not just some master." 

She smiled, "She made me feel like everything... and I wanted to do the same. Eventually, I thought I did... If I acted like it." 

"She did the same for me, too." Pink finally spoke up, gaining Pearl's attention. "She... came to me when I was at a _dark_ place. I just _didn't care_ anymore... then she came. 'My Diamond, it has come to my attention that your colony, Earth, bears life' was the first thing she ever said. I remember it too well." 

A tear ran down her face, "She showed me just how bad I hurt the Earth. How beautiful it was and how I didn't even care enough to explore it. I hurt it like everything else..." Pearl looked at her with a worried face when she sobbed and covered her mouth. "You're the first person I've ever talked to _like this_ besides her. How _sad_ is that?" 

"I could say the same for you." Pearl said with a crack of poor humor at the edge of her voice. She let a soft, depressed smile spread across her features. "I guess the cleaning drone and the child go well together." Her eyes were more tired than she would admit. They stung from the pools of crying she'd done, and her grip on Rose's sword loosened. 

"I... I guess so." Pink let out a mirthless chuckle that cried nothing but sadness. She looked around at their surroundings and sighed, "We're a mess." 

"I guess so." Pearl smiled sadly, "But let's be a mess together, hm?" 

Pink couldn't help but smile back, "Let's." 

* * *

Steven was sprawled out on his bed by the time the two gems got back. As soon as he heard the warp chime, he quickly stood up and ran downstairs, stopping in the living room. 

When he saw the two standing on the warp, he ran over to them and stopped. "Are… are you okay, Pearl?" 

"Yes… now how about we complete the scabbard?" She showed him the sword, and he smiled widely with a nod. He ran off as Pearl stepped off the warp, following him. Pink stood still on the warp pad before putting a hand on her gem. 

She watched them leave before stepping off the warp pad. Outside, Steven and Pearl were next to Lion, who was laying down in the sand. The two joined the scabbard and the sword together, letting the pale pink blade slide in. Lion watched lazily with one eye as his mane glowed white and the sword slipped through with ease. 

Pink leaned against the railing of the porch, watching them with a distant smile. She never paid mind to the nearly invisible crack along her gem, hiding in plain sight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "My Diamonds, my client is simply built different." -Zircon, circa 2020
> 
> How was that chapter? It's actually one of the shorter ones. I'm hoping I didn't mess with Pearl's and Pink's relationship that much, but seeing as they just fused two chapters ago, I didn't want them to just hate each other... Just yet;)
> 
> Anyway, until next time!


	14. Slack and Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Amethyst fills Pearl's room with trash, Steven goes along with her to take back a book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoyo! It's ya' boy Joe!
> 
> Back with another chapter, it might be a lil' messy though. I proof read it, but I may have missed some things. 
> 
> Have fun reading!

# Slack and Show

  
  


Sleeping was a better alternative to reading this. That thought has been on Steven's mind for the past twenty minutes as he read through one of many textbooks he had. 

"Steven, are you paying attention?" Pearl's voice cut through his torpor. He completely forgot she was even there!

"Uh, yes!" He exclaimed tiredly, one of his eyelids drooping a bit. Pearl gave him a suspicious frown, and raised one of her fingers. 

"Well then, can you tell me what year the Industrial Revolution happened?" Pearl asked with a frown, and Steven stared at the textbook with a questioning look.

"Was it… uh, eighteen twelve?" He answered, looking up at her with a nervous smile. 

"Steven, it was literally on the last page." Pearl said while frowning disappointedly. Steven winced and leaned his head to the side. 

"I'm sorry Pearl. I just didn't get… much sleep last night." He yawned in the middle of his sentence, highlighting his words. Pearl gained an empathetic look before quickly replacing it with her 'teaching face' as Steven puts it. 

"Exhaustion is no excuse for not paying attention. Now, I believe we should continue reading." Pearl pointed at the textbook page, making Steven sigh and lean his head on the palm of his hand. 

The temple door opened up, and Pearl looked at it to see her door opening. She looked confused, then horrified when Amethyst walked out with a stupid, mischievous smirk on her face. 

"Amethyst! Why were you in my room?" Pearl asked as she stood up and confronted the purple gem. Amethyst put her hands behind her head, "Go ahead and check it out for yourself." 

Pearl grumbled angrily before speed walking to the temple door. After opening her room and stepping in, she gasped in horror. Trash and filth was piled up everywhere, nearly overflowing off the edge of the waterfalls. 

The temple door closed behind her as she screamed, cutting her off. Amethyst laughed and snorted while Steven frowned. 

"Ahhh, that will never get old." Amethyst said to herself before noticing Steven. "Hey Steve-o, whatcha doing?" She asked in a sing-song tone. 

"Oh, Pearl's just making me read through this." Steven said while slightly sitting up. Amethyst crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "You mean, trying to make ya' a nerd?" 

"No, she just wants me to be smart when I'm older, so I can get a job." Steven tapped on the textbook as Amethyst made a snoring noise. 

"The only way you're gonna get smart is by getting some hands-on experience. Right now, you're probably getting super bored, right?" 

"Yeah." He nodded, proving her point. Amethyst shrugged and walked over to him. She hopped onto a stool next to him and grabbed the textbook. 

"Listen, how about you and me go on our own little adventure?" Amethyst's words made Steven brighten up. 

"Really?!" He smiled excitedly while putting his hands down on the table. 

"Yeah! Now, here's what we're gonna do," She threw the textbook from her hand, letting it land somewhere in the cave area of the house. "Pink owes me something that she took a while back. I know she has it somewhere at her place, but I just need to get it back." 

"You mean… like break in?" Steven asked, becoming fearful for a second. Amethyst quickly calmed him down. 

"No, I mean like, go in and just take it. They're two different things." 

"That sounds exactly the same though." 

Amethyst waved his words off with her hand, "It doesn't really matter. Besides, what we're getting is technically mine already. So, what do you say?" Amethyst elbowed his shoulder lightly while giving him a wink. Steven hummed and put a finger and thumb on his chin. 

"Sure!" He chimed, making Amethyst fist pump the air slightly and cheer.

"Alright! Now come on before Pearl comes back." Amethyst said while getting off her stool and heading towards the warp pad. Steven followed suit, and stepped onto it with her. Soon after, they were swallowed by a column of light.

* * *

Steven looked around as the warp dropped them off. He and Amethyst were in the middle of what appeared to be a forest. A smooth, straight path with pink highlights led into a clearing ahead. A thing that caught his eye was a large flag flying in the distance, with a pink diamond sitting in the middle of a yellow star. 

"This place looks nature-y!" Steven said as he hopped down from the warp and followed the path. Amethyst stepped off and trailed behind him, staring ahead. 

"This is Pink's Sanctuary, but it's not that cool out here." She commented before walking ahead of Steven. As they approached the clearing, the boy noticed a statue of some gem he didn't recognize. Vines ran across it, and grass was already growing on it. A small stream ran around its pedestal, which was as deep as Steven was tall. 

He bent down and looked into the pink-ish water, noticing fish with strange crystals on them. Some would have crystal fins, which moved like they were organic. Others would have crystals lining their scales. It was the weirdest fish Steven had ever seen in his life. 

"C'mon, we can look at this place after we're done." Amethyst said while standing nearby, pointing ahead with her thumb. Steven nodded and kept walking along, Amethyst in front of him. 

As they continued walking, Steven looked around at the forest around them. His eyes perked up when he saw a rabbit appear from the tree line, before disappearing back into the woods. 

Soon, the trees ended and were replaced by tall flowers and bushes. Steven looked ahead and saw a large pink structure with a tall flagpole on top. The flag he saw earlier was blowing in the wind peacefully. A strange white crystal was floating above the flag pole, and he assumed it was for decoration.

The building had a long flight of stairs leading to a set of engraved double doors. Two sets of stairs were at its sides, leading up to the flagpole. Next to the front doors were two windows, shaped like little diamonds. 

"Is… this where Pink goes?" Steven asked in awe as he looked around, trying to find every detail he could. 

"Yup, she's either out here, or in town." Amethyst said nonchalantly, crossing her arms. Once the two reached the double doors, Amethyst stopped Steven with her hand. 

"Okay, listen. I'm gonna need you to be really quiet. This is a stealth brea-I mean, mission," She quickly corrected herself. "So stay low and follow my lead." 

"Got it." Steven whispered while giving a small nod. Amethyst then opened the doors slowly and stepped inside. 

The first thing Steven noticed was how messy it was. Random furniture, junk, or items sat around disorganized. Two giant paned windows lit the entire room, and had curved frames on the top. He could see bubbles floating around near the roof, which had engravings and a large mural of clouds and different gems. 

A light pink path that matched the road outside led deeper into the building. "C'mon, it should be in here." Amethyst said before walking in farther. 

Steven quickly followed her, and tried to examine his new surroundings. It reminded him of Amethyst's room. Junk and a bunch of weird stuff sat everywhere, but as they walked further, he saw some level of management. An area that was lifted from the floor had a pot full of flowers, a hanging mirror, a large canopy bed, and bubbles floating around the ceiling. It looked more like a bedroom than anything. 

She pointed to the right, "Bingo. There it is Steven." And Steven saw what she was talking about. Pink Diamond was lying on a pink divan style couch. A thick, vintage style leather-bound book with a gem on its cover was on her face. She was snoring loudly, making it clear she was asleep.

"Wait, what are we tryin'ta get again?" Steven asked as he looked over at the purple gem. 

"That book she's got. That things mine." Amethyst said with a smirk, cracking her knuckles. Steven looked nervous, and he turned to her. 

"But… it's on her face. How are we gonna get it?" 

"Steven, why're you so nervous today? It's okay, I've taken a _lot_ of things. Just watch the master." Amethyst slowly stepped up to Pink, being careful to not step on any convenient twigs or rakes. Once she got close to the gem, she shapeshifted her arm longer and slowly grabbed the book. 

It was going fine until it suddenly slipped in her hand and fell on Pink's head. Steven silently freaked out as the diamond quickly woke up in surprise. Amethyst's eyes perked up, and she turned her arm back to normal. Steven looked at her in confusion. ' _That was a master's work?_ ' 

"What the… Amethyst?" Pink looked at the purple gem with a frown as she took the book off her face. 

"Yo'." Amethyst said while waving a hand, hiding her nervous face with a casual one. Pink stood up and rubbed her left eye tiredly, looking slightly upset. 

"You know you could've said something. What're you doing here?" She asked while closing the book and putting it down in her lap. 

"I came for the book. I want it back," Amethyst said while crossing her arms. "And I brought Steven along." She pointed at him with her thumb. 

The boy popped his head up and waved a hand, "Hi Pink! I have nothing to do with this! Haha!" A drop of sweat ran down his cheek. 

"Hello Steven. Well Amethyst, I'm still reading through it, so could I perhaps keep it a little longer?" Pink asked as she raised an eyebrow, giving Amethyst a light smile. 

"Yeah, naw. I want it back now." Amethyst said while pointing at it. Pink frowned disappointedly and handed the book over, "Fine, here." 

Amethyst took it and put it under her arm, "Thanks. Well, that's all I needed, see ya'." Steven looked at her with a betrayed look. 

"Wait! I thought this was our own adventure though!" He said as he walked up to Amethyst, putting his arms out. 

"Hey, I didn't say how long it would be." Amethyst shrugged, while Steven frowned sadly. "Anyway, I'm gonna go so see ya' later!" She walked away back to the entrance, leaving Steven alone with Pink. The boy had the biggest look of disappointment on his face. The tall gem next to him, whoever, had a growing look of interest. 

"What do you mean adventure? Were you two doing something else?" Pink asked as she stood up and put her hands together. A smile was creeping on her face as Steven sighed. 

"Well, it was to get the book back. But now that's done… so I guess it's over?" He said while he put a hand on his other arm. 

"Oh… how about we continue it then? Isn't this your first time here?" Pink asked while putting her hands on her hips. 

"Yeah." Steven responded with a nod, slowly getting brighter. 

"Well, how about I show you around? C'mon, it'll be fun!" she said as she winked at him, and he brightened up drastically. 

"Okay, yeah! Where are we gonna start?" He asked excitedly, making Pink hum and tap her chin. 

"Oh! How about we start over there?" She pointed over at the area he saw earlier. "Okay!" He agreed, and his excitement made Pink giggle slightly. 

"Alright here," She got down on her knees and pointed at her back. "Hop on! This tour has rides!"

Steven climbed up quickly, putting his legs on her shoulders and grabbing onto her hair lightly. Pink stood up and walked towards a 

"So Steven, what have you been doing today? Anything cool?" 

"Not really. Pearl was making me read through one of those books my dad got." Steven said while leaning into her afro, putting his hands through her curly hair. 

"Must've been torture. Pearl means well, but she can be one of the most boring gems ever at times." 

"Yeah… I guess. Anyway, is this like your house? It looks pretty big." Steven looked around the place with his newfound view. 

Pink giggled, "No, it's kinda like my own room. I wouldn't say a house, but it's close!" 

"And what about all that stuff outside? I saw this statue of some gem, and a bunch of weird fish. Oh, is that like your own forest?" 

"Yeah, you can say that. The outside has a lot of rare animals and plants I've found around the world. The statue... Uh, it's just for decoration." Pink said, looking downtrodden for a second before replacing it with a faux smile. 

"Who was it? Another Crystal Gem? Or one of those goddess statues like the fancy ones?" Steven asked with interest, recounting the Sea Spire statues he saw with Pearl. 

"Sure, anyway, here it is! My, um, actual room!" She awkwardly pointed at the bedroom with her hands. Steven looked confused for a second. ' _Sure?_ ' 

He shoved down the thought and saved it for later. Right now, he had a job to do, and that was exploring this cool gem place. "Wow… this looks awesome!" He commented, trying to bring the mood up, "Its like my room but better!" 

Pink let him climb down from her back so he could look around. He walked over to the bed and jumped up, running his hand on the soft texture of the blanket. He fell back and let out a relaxed sigh, "It's really comfortable! I feel like I can just lay here forever." 

"I know right?" Pink said while lying down on the opposite side of the bed. She let out a similar sigh and put her hands behind her head. They both sighed simultaneously and laughed afterwards. 

"Alright, what else is over here?" Steven asked as he sat up, looking over at the mirror. Pink sat up before getting an idea, "Wait! I know something you're gonna like. Don't tell the others about this." 

"Okay! What is it?" Steven asked, rubbing his hands together quickly. Pink walked over to the wall and put her arms behind her back. 

"I need… a large shelf!" She said, and Steven was surprised when a section of the wall turned outward, making exactly what she asked for; a shelf. It also revealed a small area inside the wall, with little stairs and doors. He quickly got up and stopped next to her. 

"Can all the walls do that!? Can you just make whatever?!" Steven began shooting questions at her, and she just laughed lightly. 

"Pretty much! Maybe not some more complex things. But a lot, and it's all thanks to these little guys." She leaned into the shelf and looked around, before putting a hand inside. 

Steven heard a tiny voice before Pink turned to him and held out her hand. The boy gasped when he saw a tiny gem in Pink's palm. It gasped and quickly crawled up her arm, jumping into her afro when it got the chance. 

"Hey, come on!" Pink said while giggling, reaching into her hair. Steven was awestruck, with stars appearing in his eyes. 

"What was that! It was like a little gem kid! Are there gem babies!?" Steven gasped as he put his hands on his cheeks with stars in his eyes. 

"They're a Pebble! They don't like strangers that much, so that's why I don't want the others knowing about them." She finally managed to get the Pebble back in her hand, and she dropped them off on the shelf. It quickly ran away and jumped down a little hole. She let out a quick "thank you" before turning back to Steven. 

"They live in the walls, floor, and anywhere they can build. They help maintain this place too! With them here, this is one of the safest places on Earth!" Pink said as she smiled widely, leaning against the shelf. "But yes, they are kinda like gem kids... I think." 

Steven opened his mouth but he was interrupted by a loud roar and an angry scream. The ground shook lightly before stopping, and Steven and Pink jumped to life. "What was that?!" 

"Sounds like it came from outside!" Steven pointed out while pointing towards the entrance. Pink quickly rushed past him with a . He followed her and was panting by the time he got outside. His eyes widened when he saw a giant lizard-like creature attacking Amethyst.

Its body was made of grass and dirt, while its head was made of sticks, trees, and a book acting as one eye. Its legs were sets of logs and stumps. Amethyst was on its arm, trying to avoid being attacked. 

"C'mon Steven! We have to help her!" Pink said as she grabbed him up under her arm and jumped down from the entrance. The two landed nearby, and Pink dropped Steven down on the ground, unaware that he didn't catch himself in time and faceplanted onto the grass. 

"Amethyst! What's going on?" Pink questioned while summoning her sword, looking up at the dirt abomination with a glare. 

"That stupid book started attacking me!" Amethyst said frustratedly while holding on for dear life. Her whip was wrapped around its and her arm. She froze when the monster raised her up and slammed her against the ground. She tumbled towards them, gasping for air she didn't need. 

"How did the book become that?!" Steven asked while standing up, rubbing his head. He quickly stepped behind the gems as the lizard roared, suddenly striking at them. All three jumped back, trying to get away from the attack. Steven wasn't fast enough. 

"Ahh!" He screamed as he was thrown up. His back hit something, he didn't know what, but all he knew was that it hurt. Groggily sitting up, he realized he was on something moving. It began disorienting him, and he finally realized what he was on. 

He screamed again, now seeing that he was right on top of the monster's back. It thrashed around violently as Pink and Amethyst screamed his name in panic. 

Steven grabbed the rough dirt underneath him, digging his fingers in tightly. The lizard roared again and slammed down on the ground, making Steven fly up. He slammed back down on its back, going into a coughing fit as the wind was knocked out of him. 

"Help me!" He yelled in fear, as another roar shook his ears. A bright flash of light from the side made his eyes widen in surprise. Then they raced upwards when the lizard reached an arm back, trying to scratch at him. 

"Go away!" He yelled as he tried moving away from the giant claws. It rose above him, making dread fill his stomach. Raising an arm, he squeezed his eyes and tried to get ready for the worst. 

A whip-crack sent his hair back, and he quickly opened his eyes. A thin, pink blade was wrapped around the arm, lodged into its wood. Steven watched as the blade glowed and began spinning, shredding the wood to splinters. Some fragments nearly hit him in the face, but luckily he blocked it with his arm. 

A black gloved hand grabbed him quickly, picking him up from the lizard and taking him away from it. The monster growled and backed away, limping on its remaining three limbs. Nearby trees and sticks began floating towards its destroyed arm. The limb was remade soon after, and it stomped down on the ground. 

Steven looked up to his savior, and gasped in awe. It must've been a fusion! He could see Amethyst's gemstone on her chest. Her hair was dark brown, wildly curled, and fell to her shoulders. Her left eye was covered by a large bang of hair, covering a portion of her white freckles. 

"You okay, Steve-man?" She asked, sending him a toothy grin. His mouth froze when he tried to speak. He willed himself to ask, "What's your name?" 

"Call me _Enstatite_. Now look alive, we gotta party to start with dirt-zilla." She said, looking back at the large lizard in front of them. Steven saw the monster rush at them, making him grip down on the hand he was in. 

Enstatite summoned her weapon, appearing to be an Urumi( _something Steven didn't have a clue what was_ ), with two of her fingers holding the blades. It had the look of Amethyst's whip, but had sword blades instead. The handle had swirling roses on it, curling around until it ended with a star. Small barbs dotted the sides of the flexible blades. Whatever ended up being attacked by it, it probably wasn't gonna be pretty by the end. 

The monster gave out a challenging roar as Enstatite unravelled her weapon and began swinging it around in a circle. Her arm began spinning around from her hand to her elbow, making it appear as just a blur. Not to mention how loud the air was, making a high pitched whistling sound. The lizard charged at her, pointing its head down as it drew closer. Then it got in the weapon's way. 

Steven watched as chunks of the monster's dirt body were ripped off. It gave a screech and tried getting closer, causing the Urumi to just chop more off. The monster backed off and began stepping back, trying to get away. 

Enstatite stopped swinging and let the Urumi stop on the ground. She gave a cocky smile and chuckled, "Gosh, you're just some dumb animal, aren't ya'? Come on you oversized lizard, get over here!" She smiled wickedly and stepped forward, giving the challenge instead. 

Steven, meanwhile, noticed the monster put a hand behind itself sneakily, making it appear as if it was getting ready to run. He gasped before trying to get Enstatite's attention, "Hey! Wait!" 

"Not now Steven, I'm trying to take it down!" Enstatite exclaimed with a wild look, making Steven shake his head quickly. 

"No, it's gonna-" He yelled, but the fusion was already going in on the offensive. Steven gripped onto her finger and took cover behind it. As he expected, the monster got through her slashes and got a hit on her side with a swing. 

He still became surprised when he lost his grip and was sent flying in the air. Enstatite was sent to the ground, snarling angrily before seeing her hand empty. Her eye widened when she saw the monster already on top of her, about to strike. She reached up and her hands collided with its claws. They curled around her fingers and dug into her hands, making her grunt and fight back. 

Steven had found himself on the monster again, holding on for dear life. He saw the book near him, and his eyes widened in realisation. ' _I can get it!_ ' Stepping down slowly, the shaking of the creature made him lose his balance slightly. 

He dug his fingers in deeper and continued getting closer to the book. The gem-book's attention was focused on Enstatite, and soon became the perfect target for a sneak attack. 

Which happened when Steven suddenly got down and grabbed the edges of the book. The pink-ish gem on its cover had a little slit in the middle, similar to a snake's eye. It looked at him and widened rapidly; little veins appeared near the gem, giving into the look of an eye. 

The monster backed away and roared angrily, getting off of Enstatite. As Steven pulled, the monster brought a claw up to get him off. A hand grabbed its wooden arm, and cracked it in two. The monster roared one last time before Steven pulled the book out from it. It's whole body froze in place, stopping it mid-roar. The dirt, wood, moss, and trees began crumbling and falling apart, throwing Steven off of it when it collapsed beneath him. 

He screamed as he began falling towards the ground, but Enstatite caught him in just in time. He looked up at the giant mound of debris that made the monster, and glanced down at the book in his hands. Its small eye was glaring at him while the cover of the book was bent downwards, giving off an angry look. 

"Now why did you have to do that?! You could've left us alone, or been nice!" Steven said as he frowned frustratedly. The book looked away and moved in his hand, wiggling around to escape. "Why did you attack us anyhow?" 

The book opened up in his hands, flipping to a specific page near the end. Steven thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. 

"Oh! You just want to be finished! Is that what it is?" The book gave him a small nod, making him frown disappointedly. "Well, that's no reason to fight! You could've just asked." 

He read out the page quickly before Enstatite interrupted him, "Nice job Steve-man. You gonna bubble the book?" 

"Wait, it just wanted to be finished! That's why it attacked." He explained, looking up to her. Enstatite raised an invisible eyebrow and her mouth fell open in disbelief, before she morphed into light and unfused. Amethyst and Pink appeared on the ground, and Amethyst shot up like a rocket. 

"It attacked us for that!? I don't know, but I'm not goin' anywhere near that thing!" She said while pointing at it angrily with a glare. 

"I'm guessing you don't want it back." Pink commented as she stood up and dusted herself off. "But yeesh, that's an incredible overreaction." 

"Yeah, Biggest overreaction in the world." Amethyst grumbled while crossing her arms. "I ain't gettin' nowhere near that thing." 

Steven read out the last page as Pink walked over and sat next to him. "And… the end." He finished and closed the book, then watched the eye on the gem disappear. It almost looked grateful. 

"Good job Steven. Now we don't gotta worry about it." Pink said, taking it from his hands. She placed it in her lap, carefully avoiding opening it, and placed a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Nice work taking it out when you could!" 

"Thank you, I appreciate it. But what're we gonna do with it?" Steven asked as Amethyst walked past them and left while saying, "burn it." The two said their goodbyes and watched her leave, barely noticing how she had a short limp in her step. They could only guess how much the book did to hurt her _that_ much. 

"I guess I'll put it somewhere. But… I might have to put it in a bubble. Seems pretty dangerous." Pink says after a moment of silence, making Steven's eyes widen. He grabbed her hand. 

"Wait! At least let me do it. You promised I could do it next time we fight a monster." He said, giving her wide begging eyes. Pink held a straight face before she sighed and handed it over, unable to deny him. ' _Curse those puppy dog eyes!_ ' 

Steven looked down at the cover before closing his eyes. He tried focusing on his hands, and soon a light pink bubble formed around the book. A smile reached his lips as he sent it off with a tap. "I did it!" His excitement numbed the feeling of sweat running down the side of his head. 

"Welp, you got the book of terror. _Maybe I should stop falling asleep while reading?_ " Pink asked, whispering the last part to herself while holding a hand near her head awkwardly. 

"I don't know. Um… I better get back home, but thanks for the tour! I'll come visit and you can show me more later!" Steven yelled while running to the warp, looking back at Pink. He waved at her while running, nearly tripping on a stick. "Bye!" 

The pink gem waved back with a smile, and looked at the mess around herself. A realization hit her as the warp shot a beam of light up, sending Steven away. 

"Oh, I gotta fix all of this, don't I?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I didn't fully describe Enstatite in the chapter, I'll do the rest here. 
> 
> Enstatite has only two eyes and two arms. She has long dark purple pants that ride down to shoes with little balls on the end. She has shoulder pads that are uneven, with her right one lower than the other. Her shoulders are both open, and across her chest is a loose dress shirt. 
> 
> Anyway, hope that gives a better visual on her!  
> I'll see you on the next chapter!


	15. Maximum Capacity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg and Steven clear the U-Stor, with the help of Amethyst and Pink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Hey! You're finally awake. Tried scrolling to the newest chapter, like us, and that thief over there."
> 
> I'm back with a new chapter!  
> And guess what? I'm cross-posting to Fanfic.net! So if you like reading on that, you can go there as well!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

# Maximum Capacity

If Steven told you this storage unit was full, it would be an understatement. He felt that at any moment, a tower of boxes could fall over onto him. Luckily, he was with Greg, Amethyst, and Pink. 

"Wow dad, you really didn't want to get rid of this stuff." Steven commented while picking up an empty cardboard box. Greg walked over to him and took the box. 

"Well, I was going to use this as storage, but I just never got to it. Besides, a lot of this stuff holds memories." He put the box down and picked up a shirt with 'Mr. Universe' written across it. 

"Really? Like this flamingo?" Steven picked up a lawn flamingo and waved it around like it was talking. Greg looked at Steven and chuckled, putting the shirt down on top of the box. 

"Well, most of it is just from me not cleaning it. I haven't touched it much since your mom…" Greg coughed into his hand while looking away. "Anyway, with New Year's Eve around the corner, this is a better time to start than any. But, why did you get them?" Greg pointed his thumb behind himself. 

Steven looked past Greg and saw Amethyst holding up a mask to Pink, who put it on instantly. The two laughed while Steven looked up at Greg. 

"Well, Amethyst knows how to handle a mess. And Pink has her own mess she's trying to clean up, so she might know some things." Steven listed on his fingers. 

Greg rubbed the back of his neck and smiled, "Well, alrighty then. But I don't know how we're gonna manage all this." Greg pointed at the wall of junk behind Steven. The boy hummed while Amethyst and Pink walked up. 

"What you need is a system. Sort the junk from the lesser junk." Amethyst said, giving Steven an idea, and the boy bounced up. 

"Hey! I know!" He grabbed the empty box and found a marker nearby. He wrote on the box and found two more boxes. After he was done, the three boxes were lined up. 

"Look, keep, sell, and burn!" He presented the boxes to the three others. 

"Why did you put 'burn'? Can't we just sell those as well?" Pink asked while shrugging. She stepped up to the burn box as Greg followed suit. 

"I agree. I don't think we should burn anything." He chuckled while Amethyst gently punched his shoulder. 

"Ah! Come on. What are you two afraid of?" She laughed. Greg rubbed his shoulder where she punched him. 

"Fire?" He answered, making Amethyst just laugh at him. The conversation ended there as they got to work. Amethyst began putting random things in the keep box, and Greg soon took notice. 

"Woah, hold on there Amethyst. Aren't we supposed to be throwing things away?" 

"What? Are you kidding! You have some pretty good junk." She held up a broken tennis racket and dropped it in the box. 

"Hey guys! Look what I found!" Pink called over, before standing up with a box in her hands. Steven ran over with Greg behind him. Pink set the box down and Greg gasped when he saw what was inside. 

"Li'l Butler!? Oh, where have you been?" Greg picked up a VHS up and hugged it to his chest. Steven looked confused as Amethyst joined in. 

"Is that Li'l Butler? Oh man!" Amethyst picked up two tapes and laughed, " _Li'l Butler that's you~_ " 

"What's Li'l Butler?" Steven asked, looking between the three. Pink held up a tape to him and smiled. 

"It's an old show we used to watch! I bet you we could sell this for a good penny." 

"What!? Sell this! No way! C'mon, let's put on an episode!" Greg got up and grabbed an old television nearby. He placed it down and connected it to an outlet in his van. He slid in a VHS and the show started playing. 

"Alright!" Amethyst yelled as she sat down near the t.v. and leaned against an old mattress. Greg sat down next to her while Steven and Pink stood a few feet away. 

"Okay, we'll only watch one episode, then we'll keep working on cleaning up." Greg said as he looked at Amethyst with a smile. 

"Okay, now let me watch this!" She replied excitedly, pushing his shoulder. 

"Hey, how about we don't watch any of it?" Pink said from behind, giving them a sarcastic, fake smile. The two avid fans turned their heads to her. 

"What? It won't do no harm. You liked this show, too." Amethyst crossed her arms behind her head as Pink looked at her angrily. 

"Well, last time it did. I'm not getting sucked up into that show again. You two can enjoy that alone cause I'm leaving." The pink gem turned and walked away. Greg watched her with a frown as Steven followed behind her curiously. 

As Pink walked out from the storage unit, Steven asked, "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm going home. I've still got my own stuff to clean up. Do you want to help me?" She asked with a small smile, which was not all there. 

"Sure... I guess we can come back later." Steven looked back into the storage unit, seeing the bright light of the t.v. illuminate the dark inside. 

* * *

**The Next Morning**

Steven walked down the road as he met eyes with the storage unit. His dad's van was still parked outside, sitting exactly where it was yesterday. 

He walked around the van's side and opened the back doors. He was gonna say something to wake his dad up, but he stopped himself when the old man wasn't inside. Closing the doors, he looked confused before hearing a hysterical laugh from behind. 

It came from the storage unit, and Steven cautiously stepped inside. Walking past junk, he saw Li'l Butler still playing on the television, and his dad and Amethyst were still watching it. 

"You guys are still here?" He asked, catching the attention of Greg immediately. 

"Oh! Hey Steven, what're you doing coming back so late?" His dad's words made him frown. 

"It's… morning."

Greg's eyebrows raised up as he rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers catching his hair. "Wow… guess I lost the track of time."

Steven gasped, "You never stopped watching Li'l Butler?" 

"Well yeah! When you get to season three, it really starts getting good. That's when the uptight neighbors, the Richingtons, move next door! Haha! They're a riot!" Amethyst laughed. Greg opened his mouth to say something, but a joke on the show made him burst out laughing with Amethyst. 

Steven looked around the storage unit before shrugging, "Okay then, I guess the storage unit can wait."

"Yeah buddy, that sounds like a good idea." Greg commented while his eyes were still glued to the show. 

"Well, do you want to just meet at the fireworks?" Steven asked after it went awfully quiet. 

"Sure Steven." 

"Um… okay, I'll meet you there." Steven quickly left them, glancing back every few seconds. The fact that they just sat there for hours, no, a full _day_ . It filled his stomach with anxiety, but he ignored quickly. ' _Maybe dad will still come._ ' 

* * *

**Later that Day**

Sitting on the beach, Steven, Pearl, Garnet, and Pink sat on a large blanket. The night was already taking the sky as stars shined like far away light bulbs. Steven had a cardboard box in front of him, and he pulled out clothes. 

"Alright, here. Put these on." Steven handed each gem a different clothing item. Garnet put on a dark brown jacket with a face in the back. Pearl put on a light yellow sweater, and Pink put a black scarf with stars around her neck. 

"Okay guys, I brought some pots and pans. When the fireworks go off, we gotta make lots of noise." He took some out from the box and handed some to them. "I brought some for Amethyst, too. She and dad should be here any second." 

"Why would she come with Greg? Wait, are they hanging out again?" Pearl brought a hand near her chin as she gasped. 

"Yep, that Li'l Butler show." Pink said while sighing, a hint of irritation in her voice. 

Garnet tsked as people around them began chanting the countdown to the fireworks. 

"Unbelievable! They really are! But why now? Do you know of this?" Pearl turned her head to Pink, who looked away. 

"Yeah, we found those tapes in Greg's storage. Now they're hooked to it again. But that doesn't matter right now, the fireworks about to start." She gave Steven a small smile while picking up two pans. 

Steven frowned and looked down at the pot in his hand, gripping the handle tightly. The countdown ended and everyone cheered loudly around them. Fireworks covered the sky in a bright flash of colors, drowning out the stars. 

"Happy New Years Steven!" Pearl and Pink said together. Pearl lightly hit her pan with a spoon and blushed, "How's my volume?" 

"It's low." Garnet said while standing up. She slammed her pots together loudly, causing everyone around them to cover their ears. 

* * *

**At The U-Stor**

Steven stood in front of the long storage unit, glaring at the inside. The light glow of the t.v. could be seen inside. 

He stepped up to it slowly and entered the storage unit. The noises of the show came into hearing range, and he heard the t.v. cut the episode off. 

"Want me to put in another?" Amethyst asked Greg as she stood up. 

"Do it!" Greg smiled, but a loud booming noise caught his attention. "What's that? I'm missing the fireworks! Ahh, how did I get so sucked up in this show again?" 

"Woah, woah! Hold on, we're having a lot of fun!" Amethyst grabbed his hand as he tried walking away. "Look! I got the two part Hawaii special!" She lifted up a VHS and put it in the television. 

"But Steven really wanted me to do New Years." Greg argued while getting annoyed, his frustration at the stubborn purple gem growing slowly. 

"He'll be fine. He's Steven! He's tough."

"I wanted to be there!" Greg pointed his thumb at his chest before trying to walk away again. He felt his arm getting grabbed again. 

"Here, here. It would've been like this," Amethyst shapeshifted into Steven and laughed. "Woah, fireworks! Haha, hey dad, now let's watch some Li'l Butler." 

"You know how I feel about shapeshifting." Greg narrowed his eyes at her, and she rolled her eyes. 

"Jeez okay. I was just trying to cheer you up," She changed to normal before shapeshifting into Greg and twirling her hair. "Oh, that's right. I forgot you're _sooo_ sensitive." 

Greg moved away from her, "I know you like making me uncomfortable, but it's not funny. I can't stay here and humor you. I have to be there for my son." 

Steven, leaning against an old box, put a hand near his mouth as he listened. 

"You wouldn't." He heard Greg say, and the recognizable short chime of shapeshifting caught his attention. Amethyst began taunting Greg to turn around, and that made Steven finally bust out from his hiding place. 

"Stop!" He yelled as he climbed onto the mattress behind them. The dark, black eyes of his mother stared back at him. Steven gasped and his eyes widened in horror. He shut his eyes to get rid of the image now imprinted in his mind, and he put his hands to his head. 

Amethyst changed to normal as she and Greg stared at the boy in shock. Silence had fallen between them, and the only sounds were that of a laugh track on the television. Steven breathed in quick heaves before he opened his eyes and gave them an angry glare. 

"What're you two doing?! I know… it's hard to deal with stuff, and it's really hard to think about, and heavy, and it means a lot to you. So it's hard to let go of it," He threw his arms out. "But you gotta! Because this thing is full!" 

He picked up a nearby cat carrier, "Seriously! When did you even have a cat!?" He threw it down, splitting it in two. 

Amethyst ran away soon after, covering her eyes from them. Steven jumped down from the mattress and joined his father's side, grabbing onto his arm. Greg looked down at him sympathetically before turning to the t.v. and shutting it off. 

* * *

**The Next Day**

"Okay! We're finishing this today!" Greg said as he and Steven trotted down the road. As they eventually reached the U-Stor, Pearl surprisingly walked out. 

"Oh, nice of you two to join us." She greeted them while holding a box in one hand. Greg and Steven gasped simultaneously, and looked inside the storage unit. It was nearly completely cleared, besides for a few boxes. Amethyst and Garnet were inside, with the taller gem carrying a stack of boxes. 

"Woah! This is incredible… uh, sorry about the mess, Pearl." Greg apologized while rubbing the side of his neck. 

"Was this your idea?" Steven asked the pale gem, who was cut off by Garnet. 

"It was Amethyst's idea." She dropped the boxes in her hands and pointed at the purple gem with her thumb. Amethyst walked out from behind her and blushed when she saw Greg and Steven. 

"I-I just thought that we could take this all back to the temple. It can fit in my room! That way, you don't have to throw everything away. And," Garnet handed her the keep box, and she quickly gave it to Greg. "Here, have this." 

She walked away to Pearl quickly, standing behind her slightly. Greg opened the box and his eyes widened when he saw a framed photo of him and Rose, laughing happily together while he had a hotdog in his mouth. Steven got a look too, and Greg moved it slightly, reflecting him and Steven together. 

The two smiled and looked to Amethyst, "Hey… thank you, Amethyst." Greg said while nodding his head to her. 

The purple gem blushed and grabbed the box Pearl was holding, making the slender gem protest. Greg and Steven looked into the U-Stor and, after glancing at each other, closed its door for good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it sticks to canon too closely. But it's the best to go off of, being the source material and all. Later on, we'll go off from canon. 
> 
> Season 3 is gonna be lit.  
> 


	16. Marble Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giant marble Robots start falling out of the sky, while Steven tries to find out what a 'Familiar' is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I betcha I can get this chapter done in a few days!
> 
> School: Haha, how about five tests mate? 
> 
> Sorry for taking so long on the chapter, but when school throws a massive curve ball and carpet burn(thanks fire emergency) it takes a lot out of you. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

# Marble Madness

  
  


As the endless day passed like normal, the gems were stuck doing miniscule tasks to pass the time. Pearl was refitting and moving her antique collection of swords as she pleased. Amethyst was punching trash around to 'fix' her room up. 

Garnet was in the bubble room, her legs crossed on the ground with her hands interlocked together. Pink was in her sanctuary, drawing on the wall with chalk. And Steven was sitting on the beach with Connie, listening to her as she told him about a book. 

"So it's called, 'Unfamiliar Familiar' and the main character is Lisa. She's on a quest to find her dad, and she has this Familiar. It's sorta like this spirit animal… thing that everyone has. Anyway-"

She was interrupted by a low whistling noise, and the air felt like it was cut in half. Steven looked around before smiling at her, "Wow! This book sounds awesome. Tell me more!"

Connie asked, "Do you want me to read some of it to you?" And Steven nodded his head excitedly in anticipation. 

"Okay, here let's start at the beginning." She opened the book and adjusted her glasses, before reading the start of chapter one. Steven listened keenly, his mind trying to take in every detail of the book. A low whistling noise covered their ears again before something landed in the ocean nearby. 

Steven and Connie stood up and stared at the ocean in a sort of shocked wonder. The waves calmed from the crash before a giant orb with legs stepped onto the beach. Steven recognized it as one of those… robot-things Peridot had. 

' _Is she coming back!?_ ' Steven thought before the warp at the house activated, and the gems ran outside. They all stopped on the porch and gasped in horror when they saw the Robonoid. 

"What in the world is that thing!?" Amethyst pointed at it with a grimace, and the others stared at the Robonoid in shock. 

"What is that?" Pearl muttered while bringing a hand near her mouth, slightly covering the confused frown on her face. 

"It doesn't matter, we need to take that thing down!" Pink yelled, summoning her sword. Garnet summoned her gauntlets as Pearl and Amethyst tried getting out of their shocked stupor. The two gems eventually managed to summon their weapons and start the attack. 

Steven watched as the gems fought the large Robonoid, causing a huge, gooey explosion. He and Connie looked around the beach, which was now coated in a thick layer of green, sparkling goo. Coincidentally, they were untouched by the goo, with a small area around them perfectly fine. 

"I love hanging out at your place." Connie said while staring in awe at nothing in particular. Steven looked at the gems and saw them standing near the orb-like robot. 

Pearl picked up a piece of the robot and rubbed her hand across its surface. 

"What is this? Is… Homeworld coming back?" She looked horrified as she turned to Garnet, who crushed a piece of Robonoid in their hand. 

"It could just be old gem junk that reactivated." Pink said while throwing a piece of metal behind herself, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, it's gone now. We've dealt with it!" 

Pearl gave her a confused look, "But it looked too advanced to be anything from the war."

"Well… ha, it might've been untouched. In a... storage hold, or some cargo ship." Pink shrugged while giving a sly smile. Pearl noticed how uneasy it was, and how the diamond was seemingly tense. 

"This stuff's real gooey!" Amethyst interrupted Pearl's thoughts while covered in goo. She gave Pearl a mischievous smirk, and the pale gem stepped away from her. 

"Don't you dare!" She warned, but it was too late. Amethyst began running after her, her arms open for a hug. Steven and Connie watched them run around before Connie spoke up. 

"What was that Steven? Do you think it was," Connie got closer to him and whispered, " _That_ gem?" 

Steven whispered back, "I think so. She came here a while back but we haven't seen her again." He looked around, making sure none of the gems heard him. 

Pearl walked over to Steven, her body covered in the light green liquid. She tried brushing her hands off and looked to the duo. 

"Are you two alright? We came as fast as we could." She flicked off a piece of goo and put her hands on her hips. 

"We're fine Pearl! We were just sitting here when that thing came crashing down." He explained while pointing at the ocean. Pearl hummed while glancing over to Garnet, who stood nearby with a frown. 

The quiet gem was hugged by Amethyst, smothering goo on her. Garnet shrugged before Pink joined in the hug, wrapping her arms around her. Pearl stepped close and crossed her arms, looking away from them. 

"We shouldn't be messing around at such a time." She criticized with a huff, before leaning against the hug. Amethyst laughed and put an arm around Pearl's waist, getting her in the hug. 

Steven smiled before hearing Connie's phone go off. The girl quickly took out her phone and coughed into her hand. She answered the call, "Hello mom. Yeah, I… oh… okay. Love you, goodbye." 

She closed the phone with a sigh as Steven asked, "What is it?" 

"My mom's coming to pick me up. I thought we would have more time to hang out. Here, I'll give you the rest but I think you should read through this for yourself!" Connie handed him the 'Unfamiliar Familiar' book and ran off to his house to get her stuff.

He looked down at the cover before running after her, "Wait! What's the book about again?" 

* * *

**The Next Day**

" _Hi Steven! Did you read Unfamiliar Familiar?"_

"Yeah! I really love Lisa's familiar, he's my favorite!" 

" _That's great! Ahh! It's soo good, right!_

"I know! But, I'm just confused about one thing though." 

" _What's that?_ "

"What exactly is… a familiar?" 

" _W-What? Steven, a familiar is… actually, I thought I explained this to you befo-_ " A loud whistling in the air and a loud rumble interrupted her. Steven shook on the couch before Connie asked, " _Steven, what was that?_ "

"I think it's one of those things again!" He looked out the window at the beach before the temple door opened and Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst ran out. 

Garnet stood in front of them while adjusting her visor, "We'll find it on Mask Island. Hurry!" She barked as they rushed onto the warp. 

"Uhh! Connie, I'll talk to you later! Bye!" He hung up on her before she could respond. Jumping off the couch, he ran to the warp, but they were already gone. He got on and put his arms out, before warping away. 

The warp dropped him off in a forest, and he saw the gems facing another large Robonoid. He joined them from behind, holding onto Garnet's leg slightly. 

"Is it looking for a warp?" Pearl asked after watching the large drone walk around. 

"We have to stop it!" Garnet yelled while cracking her knuckles. The gems rushed at it in a flash. Steven brought his hands up as it once again exploded into green goo. 

"Geez… what are these guys coming here for?" He asked while grabbing onto a piece of the Robonoid's leg. It shined against his eyes, making him recoil and blink rapidly. 

"Whatever it was here for, it's over now." Garnet said while walking away to the warp. Steven watched Amethyst and Pearl walk past him, both exchanging small talk with him before leaving. 

He frowned and looked at the leg in his hands, before dropping it on the ground. Why were these robots dropping from the sky? Who was…

_"Is Homeworld coming back?"_

What exactly... was Homeworld? He heard the gems talk about it, and there's more gems there. Peridot was one of them. If they were sending these things, then he needed to know why. 

* * *

**Later**

He stood in front of the pink double doors with an anxious look. His hands fumbled with themselves before he opened the doors. Sunlight flooded past him into the building… well, it was more like a temple. 

Walking in, the sunlight soon disappeared behind him. It looked more organized, that was something he noticed immediately. There were still random things strewn about, but it seemed like they were on their way to organization. 

As he was walking, he heard a distant voice, which he recognized as Pink's. He headed towards the source and soon saw the diamond herself pacing across her room. She looked… he gained a shiver as a chill of distress ran through his body. He took a moment and confusingly scratched his head. The pink gem turned in his direction, and he ducked into cover to listen. 

"I can't believe this… they decide to come back after all this time!" He heard Pink vent out loud. He couldn't tell if she was talking to someone, and he was correct when he saw the Pebbles sitting nearby. They nodded along almost carelessly, as if they were just there to watch. 

"Gods! I don't even know what I'd do if I saw _them_!" Steven listened on as Pink angrily scrunched her hands near each other. Steven frowned and decided to make himself known. 

"Hi Pink!" He greeted while waving, stepping out from his cover. The pink gem gasped and stepped back slightly, almost fearfully. The Pebbles squeaked and disappeared, jumping and hiding into the wall. Pink awkwardly stood still as Steven rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Sorry, did I surprise you?" He asked while nervously smiling. Pink sighed and became less tense, "No… I'm _fine_." Silence came over them as she loosened her body and stood straight. 

She rubbed her forehead tiredly before giving a small, insincere smile, "What're you doing here Steven? Did you want something?" 

"I came here to ask you something." He explained while stepping closer, pressing his hands together slightly. Pink raised an eyebrow before slowly nodding, "Well, what is it?" 

"These… marble things that are coming. Are they from Homeworld?" 

"I-I don't know Steven… I think so." She replied hesitantly, "It's too much of a coincidence that this gem shows up here. And now those robots she had are coming back." 

Steven's mood was stomped down into anxious thoughts. So Homeworld really was coming back, at least he and the gems thought so. Another question popped up, "But why? What do they want with Earth? I thought you guys beat them."

"Beat is a strong word, but we did push them off Earth. They might've taken an interest on Earth again," She glared at the ground. "So we'll need to show them their _mistake_." 

"Uh huh," Steven awkwardly nodded, feeling tense all of a sudden. He glanced to the side before Pink suddenly exclaimed, "But that doesn't matter! We'll be fine, and we can put it behind us! Steven, take my word on it when I tell you that nothing bad is gonna happen." 

She ruffled his hair quickly, making Steven smile a tiny bit. Her mood turned a whole one-eighty, which made him slightly confused. Still, he couldn't resist smiling as his anxieties fell and his nerves calmed. 

"Okay, I was just worried a lot. But if you think we'll be alright, then I think so too!" He gave a thumbs up and stuck his tongue out. Pink giggled and left her hand on his head, running it through his curly hair. 

Steven felt a hand land on his back shortly after, and realized he was getting pushed slightly. "Anyway, I think you should go home Steven. I need some time to myself right now, but how about you come back later?" 

Steven raised an eyebrow, "Okay… I'll see you later." He waved his hand lightly as he walked away slowly. Pink returned it quickly, waving shortly before turning away from him. 

Steven shrugged and headed out the doors, humming a short tune while walking down the stairs. As he approached the warp he smiled, ' _Guess I should keep reading that book!_ '

* * *

**The Next Week**

" _Steven, how far have you gotten in Unfamiliar Familiar?_ "

"I'm near the end of the second book! The battles are really epic, but I'm really confused about Lisa's dad. And the big time skip."

" _What do you mean Steven?_ "

"Well, they skipped like three years after the first book, which I wouldn't have minded, but then Lisa's dad is dead, and they didn't even show them meeting!"

" _Lisa's dad is dead? But that happens in… Steven, you're reading them in order right?_ "

"Of course! I thought the one with the coolest cover was next!" He held the book up above his head. Across the phone, Connie's eyes dilated in realisation. A low whistling followed by a boom made Steven groan in exasperation. 

" _Steven, is that another one of those things?_ "

"Yeah, I'll call you later." He huffed as he hung up the phone. The temple door opened and all of the gems came running out. 

"Aww! This is, like, the fifth one this week!" Amethyst said while crossing her arms. 

"I can't take this anymore!" Pink said while grabbing her hair and pulling it. 

"We'll find it in the desert!" Garnet yelled while letting go of her visor and heading for the warp. The other three gems quickly joined her, and they disappeared in a warp stream. Steven ran for the warp, "Hold up guys!" 

He jumped on the warp and held his arms out, before being taken in a warp stream. Soon he was dropped off in a desert, and he looked around for the gems. Eventually he saw them beating on the Robonoid exhaustedly. 

"Stop. Coming. Here. You. Stupid. Things!" Pearl yelled while hitting the top of it with the end of her spear. Steven watched them struggle against it before intervening, "Guys stop! How many times are you gonna fight these things?" 

"We don't know! They just keep coming and coming! We don't even know what they are or what they are doing here!" Pearl ranted while a blue tint plastered itself in her cheeks, showing her frustration. 

"That's okay. I don't know things all the time! But I have you guys to help me, and Connie to explain things to me! You guys tell me gem stuff, and Connie can explain to me what a familiar is, and dad can tell me weird dad stuff!" 

"But nobody knows what these things are here for!" Pearl replied hopelessly. 

"Well, maybe it does." Steven shrugged while pointing at the droid. "Maybe we could follow it and see where it goes?"

"Are you nuts?!" Amethyst yelled.

"Who knows what this'll do! That's too dangerous!" Pink argued. 

"We can't keep fighting these things forever-well, we can but I don't want to. Let's try Steven's way." Garnet said while loosening her grip against the marble robot. 

"Yeah! _Let's follow the funky flow_ ~" He waved his arms out while singing in a tune. 

"We're dead." Amethyst commented as the others fell silent in contemplation. Soon, they let go of the Robonoid and hopped on top of it. Steven patted it lightly, "Alright big guy, mush!"

The droid moved forward, making the gems lose balance shortly. The Robonoid walked onto the warp pad and activated it, sending it and them into a warp stream. 

They ended up in…

"The Kindergarten? Oh, why here? This site has been damaged enough by the Gems that were incubated here 6,000 years ago! That's it! It's confirmed. These things are up to no good!" Pearl began summoning her spear with a sneer. 

Steven looked around at the dead, barren wasteland he recognized all too well. He quickly waved his arms, "Wait! We don't even know what it's doing here! Can't we just… wait to see where it goes?"

Pearl stopped and looked at everyone else. She stopped and stared at Pink, "Well?" 

The diamond bit her lip and glanced at Steven. After a few seconds, she answered, "Steven's way. We'll... let it continue." 

Pearl sighed and her gem stopped glowing. The robot jumped down from the warp pad and made its way through the Kindergarten. Steven felt himself become more uncomfortable, "I don't like it here… everything's... dead." 

Behind him, Amethyst and Pearl looked at him regretfully as the Robonoid passed a fallen injector. It stopped after a while, and the gems looked around confusingly. 

"Something's happening." Garnet stated before picking Steven up and jumping off. The others jumped with her, and they all stared at the Robonoid. It levitated into the air and its legs retreated into itself. They watched as it shot a small laser at the ground, creating a slick square hole. The droid surprisingly morphed into a platform and slid into place, fitting perfectly into the hole. 

It began descending into the depths of the hole, and they looked down with fear. All except for Steven, "See guys! I told you we'd find something!" He jumped down with a smug as the others gasped at his action. 

He slid against the dirt wall before landing on the platform. The gems landed next to him afterwards, and he grinned, "Goin' down?" His grin faded when he saw them all looking disturbed. 

"What is all this?" Pearl asked as she examined the walls near her, which began fusing with green pipes that ran across them. They huddled together as the platform lowered into a large room. The pipes lead to the opposite end of the room, which had straight, slanted walls. A large core was displayed in the wall, which seemed to be the source of the green pipes. A long pedestal with a hand on it sat under the core. 

Steven's eyes widened at the site before hearing a squishy noise, "What's that noise?" He looked over the side, with the others following suit. He saw a small Robonoid drop down from the platform and walk over to the pedestal. It jumped on top of it and caused the core to hum and glow. Screens began appearing on the walls before a static beam shot out and created one large, floating screen. 

It flickered before becoming clear and showing a green gem with a triangle-shaped gem on her forehead. The gems panicked when she opened her eyes, and they jumped to cover. 

The gem began speaking as Steven whispered, "Peridot. What is she doing here?" 

He gained confused looks from Pearl and Amethyst, "Who? Is that that gem? How do you know her?" They looked more desperate before Pink chimed up, "It doesn't matter! We need a plan right now, Garnet?"

Garnet gritted her teeth and crossed her arms, "Okay… here's the plan. We can't let her see us, so we wait for an opening. When she's distracted, we destroy the power source on the far wall. Steven stays here!"

"Got it!" Pearl, Pink, and Amethyst whispered with approving nods. Right, they had a plan, they just had to wait. As two large hands phased out of the walls and interacted with a touchscreen, Peridot spoke to herself. 

"Now accounting all artificial gemstones from the Kindergarten Project." Peridot pulled up a screen, which showed dozens of pictures of gemstones on them. 

"Now what's this project about?!" Steven's accusing voice cut her activity off and made her freeze. She turned and faced him with a shocked expression. 

"Hmm… there appears to be an infestation of some kind in the Lower Kindergarten."

"Hey, I'm not that bad when you get to know me. I'm Steven!" Steven said as he shrugged. 

"Tell me, have Stevens taken over humans as the dominant species on Earth?" Peridot asked as she looked to the side, seemingly at another screen. 

"What? No, I'm human! And there's a bunch of us! I mainly live with the gems but I see my dad, Connie, Sadie, Lars, the mailman, Mr. Smiley, that one guy by the grocery store… Onion, I think. I see them wherever!" 

"Wait, did you say, 'gems'?" Peridot asked as she eyed him suspiciously. Steven rubbed his shoulder while looking away.

"Uhh… haha, no! Now I get to ask a question," He pointed at her while asking, "What're you doing here?" 

"Oh? Just picking up where we left off." She raised one of her floating hands and turned it into a fist above Steven. It came flying down, and the only thing saving Steven was Garnet jumping in and stopping the giant fist with her gauntlets. 

She punched the fist back as the others showed themselves and faced Peridot. 

"What is this!?" Peridot yelled angrily as she glared at the new gems in front of her. "G-Gems! Wait… you! You're the five gems the Red Eye reported!" 

"That's right! And we destroyed it too!" Pearl pointed her spear at her with a glare. 

"What! But the records stated gems were wiped out! Argh! You must've been destroying my Plug Robonoids too! Why do you keep destroying my things!" 

"Because we are the Crystal Gems! This planet is still protected by us! And don't you dare hurt this planet's life!" Pink threatened as Steven awkwardly stood behind them. 

"The… Crystal Gems?" Peridot raised an eyebrow before the gems began attacking her floating hands. She struggled to fight them as they dodged and destroyed her hand constructs. After Garnet pinned a hand to the ground, she called to Amethyst, "Amethyst! Now!" 

The purple gem wrapped around the hand and she swung it over her head, "Destroy!" She swung it straight into the power core, causing chunks of it to fly everywhere and begin smoking. 

Peridot snarled, "I'm reporting this!" She disappeared as the screen shut off and the power core began sparking. The gems sat in silence as they assessed the encounter. 

"Oh man, this is really bad!" Amethyst said as the whole situation reached her mind finally. 

Garnet turned to Steven and walked over to him, "You knew that gem." She said while her hands turned to fists. 

Steven looked at her confusingly, "What do you mean? I-I don't know?" 

"You knew her name. You've seen her before." Pearl and Amethyst joined her sides and looked at him questioningly. Steven glanced behind them to see Pink shaking her head desperately. 

"I… I…" He struggled to say it as he entered a battle of wills.

' _If they find out that gems are coming back to Earth, they're gonna freak out._ ' He remembered Pink's words before opening his mouth. 

"I… did. When I saw those things… in the warp stream. It was her. She sent these marble things to fix the Galaxy warp." Steven explained while fumbling with his fingers. 

"What!? You kept this secret from us!" Pearl said angrily in shock. "Why would you do such a thing? You should've warned us!" 

"Yeah man! We could've been ready for these guys, but you kept it secret instead!?" Amethyst waved her arms out frustratedly. 

"Steven, I'm incredibly disappointed in you for-"

"It was me." They all froze and looked at Pink as she stared at Steven in regret. "I told him to keep it secret." 

"What!?" Pearl yelled exactly the same way as earlier. Garnet turned to face her as Pink crossed her arms and looked down away from them. 

" **How could you**!" Garnet yelled, beating Amethyst and Pearl to it. Pink flinched but kept her ground. "We could have been prepared for this! Yet you felt to keep this secret! You lied to us!"

"And drag Steven with you! The poor guy didn't do anything!" Amethyst pointed at the boy with her hand, who looked terrified at the situation. 

"I just… d-didn't want you to worry. I thought yo-" 

"Didn't want us to worry?! What kind of excuse-do you really expect us to believe that!" Pearl shouted as she dissipated her spear and pointed a finger at the diamond. 

Pink opened her mouth to argue back, but Garnet stopped her, " **Enough!** Come on, we're leaving. We need to focus on Peridot." Garnet hissed through her teeth as she turned to leave. She passed by Steven and jumped up the hole to the surface. 

Pearl and Amethyst turned and left as well, not paying Steven even a glance. The boy watched them leave with a tear starting in the corner of his eye. 

He turned and looked at Pink dejectedly. She was glaring up at the entrance while tears budded in her eyes, enough for Steven to take notice. He quickly rushed over to her and hugged her legs. 

"I'm sorry! I couldn't keep the secret! I had to tell them!" He apologized with a sob, tightening his hug on her. He sniffled before looking up at her. She still just glared at the entrance as her cheeks glowed pink, slowly spreading across her face. 

Steven frowned in regret and loosened his grip on her. He let go soon after and wiped at his eyes, trying to get the annoying sting of tears out of them. After failing, he looked up at Pink and glanced at the entrance. 

Pink walked to the entrance slowly as Steven looked around, taking in the heavy silence. He saw Pink staring at him, as if she was waiting for him to follow suit. When he met her eyes, she looked away from him, making a pit of anxiety grow in his stomach. 

Not wanting to make her wait, and stay in the suffocating room, he walked over to her and grabbed onto his elbow with his hand. She picked him up and jumped up to the surface. 

Pink put him down almost as soon as she touched the ground. He sighed for an eternity as he was lost in thought. 

' _Steven, take my word on it when I tell you that nothing bad is gonna happen!_ ' 

He doubted that. 

' _This is all my fault._ ' 

Because he had just ruined everything for his family. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Garnet would 100% vote Pink Diamond out as the impostor now, even if she wasn't sus. 
> 
> Yep, turns out lying to your friends about homeworld coming to Earth can hurt badly. 
> 
> If you liked this chapter, leave a kudo! It doesn't hurt, trust me. Or, if you didn't like it, tell me in the comments and I can fix it!
> 
> Anyway, until next time!


	17. Rocky Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven, Greg, and Pink work together to make it up to the gems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nani!!??
> 
> Guys, I need to confess... I... I...
> 
> I made a fic for a different fandom! Please forgive me! Naw just kidding but that's been taking up my time recently so now you might have to wait five months for the next chapter lol
> 
> Enjoy!

# Rocky Feelings

  
  


" _Steven, at least try and get up!"_ Connie begged over the phone. The hybrid boy she was talking to groaned in response, only moving deeper into the labyrinth of covers and sheets that made up his bed. 

" _Steven, it's been nearly a week since that incident. Why don't you just talk to them?_ "

"I can't! Pearl just brushes me off, and Garnet doesn't talk to me at all! Amethyst is the only one I can talk to, but even she's more annoyed now!" He threw his hand up exhaustively, "I really messed up when I told them about Peridot… I shouldn't have told them anything. Now they hate me and Pink probably hates me now." His arm flopped back down on the bed, lazily sprawling down to his side. 

" _Steven, I don't think they hate you. I've been over there myself and they really care about you_ _."_

"Mhmm." Steven deflated. Yeah, well, he disagreed. He looked to the side and checked the time on his clock, before staring up at the wooden ceiling. "Hey Connie, I'm gonna go. I have to study soon." 

" _Okay Steven, I'll… talk to you later._ _Bye._ " Steven said his goodbyes in return and quickly hung up the call. Guilt filled his mind when he thought of her disappointed tone. Just another mark to check for the day. But she was right with the whole "getting up" thing. His stomach was killing him, he hadn't eaten in forever. 

Almost unwillingly, he rolled his body off of the bed. Landing on the floor face first, he picked himself up like nothing happened to his whole front body, and walked down the stairs. As he crossed the house into the kitchen, the temple door opened and out came Pearl looking as normal as ever. Steven looked at her and frowned sadly. She didn't look even a bit bothered that she was ignoring him. He put his hands together before thinking about Connie. ' _Why don't you try talking to them?_ ' 

Sure, it didn't work the three hundred other times, but maybe now? It was better than feeling terrible AND not trying to reach out… again. For the three hundredth time. 

"Hey Pearl, what are ya' doing?" He started with an uneasy smile as he slowly stepped up to her. The skinny gem hummed and looked at him for a second, before stepping onto the warp hurriedly, "Sorry Steven, I have to go." Pearl warped away as soon as she could. Steven's eye twitched slightly before angrily groaning and grabbing the sides of his head.

"Augh!" 

He stomped across the room and threw the door open, "At least stay for more than two seconds! Act like you care!" His yell came out sharp as he leaned against the rail. He deflated like a balloon and sulked against the wooden guard rail preventing him from falling off the porch. The sky was a mix between clear, sunny blue and ugly grey clouds. A storm was rolling in like waves, similar to the ocean below it. Turning back to the front door, Steven stared longingly at the temple. With a defeated sigh, he walked down the stairs and down the hill he went. 

He needed to talk with someone. This was killing him… metaphorically, of course. His feet stopped when a loud rumbling came from his stomach, reminding him of the painful grip of hunger. 

He needed to talk to someone AFTER getting something to eat. 

* * *

Walking down the street, Steven saw his dad's van parked outside the car wash, as usual. The back doors were open, and he saw his dad talking to someone in the van. As Steven approached, he saw that Greg was talking to… Pink Diamond, who was holding her head in her hands depressingly. 

After walking closer, his dad noticed him with a pause and waved, "Hey Steven! You look sad, do you wanna talk?" The boy nodded at his dad's question, quickening his pace. He stopped next to the two, stealing looks at the pink gem with them. 

Pink spared a glance at him and muttered, "Hello Steven." She wiped her eyes with an arm and let them fall limp on her knees, not bothering to hide her tear-stained cheeks. 

"H-Hey." He greeted back, albeit nervously, focusing on anything but her. He hadn't really talked to her since the gems found out about Peridot. The pink gem hadn't really swung by the house since then, so seeing her with his dad of all people came off as strange. And seeing how… down she looked, it made him feel worse than he already was. It was _his_ fault after all. 

"I heard about what happened with the gems. Pink here told me about it," Greg added on, "Sounds like bad business." 

Steven hummed before sighing. "Yeah, they've been kinda angry. We really messed up." Simultaneously, he and Pink groaned while Greg swept a hand over his balding head. It swam through his mane of dull brown hair as he looked to the side. 

"I know how that feels, trust me. But what's done is already done, now you just have to deal with the consequences." He placed a hand on Steven's shoulder, giving his son a remorseful expression. 

"I know! But I tried apologizing and they kept ignoring me! I tried talking to Pearl earlier and she said 'No time to talk' which I would totally get but still! I mean, now I don't have to study really, but now no one's talking to me besides Connie!" Steven ranted to his father. "I… I just don't want them to be mad at me." He hugged himself and tucked his bottom lip between his teeth, his anger being pushed aside by guilt. Greg's dad instincts kicked in by the sad sight of his son. 

He pulled Steven a little closer and patted his back, "Hey, it's okay, schtu-ball. I'm sure they'll calm down eventually, and you'll go back to hanging out again. And doing weird stuff!" 

"I hope... I just want them to know I'm sorry… we're sorry." Steven glanced at Pink, who had been sitting still while listening to the two. Greg hummed thoughtfully as he scratched at the hairs of his beard. 

"Well, how about you make it up to them, huh? Give them a gift, or do something for them that they'll appreciate." 

"Like… an apolo-gift?" Steven added the new made-up word to his dictionary as he looked up to his dad. Greg smiled and nodded, "Yeah! I don't usually hang around you guys, but I think they'd appreciate something as an apology." 

"It wouldn't hurt to try," Pink finally added to the idea, even if her tone seemed hopeless. "But I think they'd ignore it." Steven finally felt determination that had been forgotten for the week, "Well, It can't hurt to try. I won't let them escape our apology anymore!" 

He lifted a determined gaze up and made Greg smile proudly. "Now, let's make a game plan! Dad, will you help us?" 

The boy turned his head to his dad, hoping for support from him. Greg rubbed the scruff of his neck and shrugged. "I guess so, but this is more between you two." 

Steven whooped excitedly at his dad's involvement before pumping his fist up as high as he could. 

"Alright! Let's get started!" 

* * *

The sky became full grey as they planned out their ideas on a piece of old notebook paper. Scared of the rain and not wanting to be cooped up in the confines of the van, which Pink was to blame for, the "Apology" team went into It's a Wash. 

The inside didn't hold much for comfort, besides from a counter and a backroom with a table, which was why Greg was currently outside grabbing foldable chairs from his van. Steven and Pink were looking over their written down ideas inside. 

"So the apology party idea will take time, but if we could get it set up in time, it could be really awesome." Steven explained as he pointed at the idea, seemingly invested in the idea of making a party. It practically had everything needed to make things right, _and_ enjoyable. 

"But they aren't really into parties, remember? Even if the idea _is_ tempting." Pink looked off to the side after she reminded Steven of the horrific "Birthday Party Incident" that happened months ago. The boy recoiled at the memory and shook his head. 

"You're right, they'd hate it. How about we just go with the personal gifts?" 

Pink hummed in thought before tapping a finger on the paper, "That could work. It has to be something they like though." 

"Well, Amethyst isn't as angry as the others, but it wouldn't hurt to give her something. Pearl is really into swords and stuff, and Garnet…" Steven paused and the duo became stumped by the quiet, and usually blunt, gem. The door to the backroom opened and Greg came walking in, carrying three chairs and completely soaked in rain. 

"I got the chairs!" He called out while stepping in, the door closing behind him automatically. Drops of water fell off him as Steven quickly took two chairs from him, lightening his burden. 

Steven set one down and folded the other open as Greg tried to dry his long, damp hair. He folded the chair in his hands and sat down, shivering from the cold water on him. 

Steven sat down with him and pulled his chair up to what they had chosen as their "planning table". As Pink struggled behind him to sit down in one of the, in her opinion, small foldable chairs, Steven looked at the sheet in front of himself and hummed. 

"Alright, have you chosen what you're gonna do yet?" Greg asked as he scooted his chair up, still slightly cold from the rain. 

"I think so, we stopped on the gifts… y'know, what we first wrote down." He didn't really focus on the details, but now seeing how they only had three ideas written down discouraged him now. 

"Alright then, what're you gonna get them?" Greg seemed to be more into the idea, seeing as he made it in the first place. 

"I don't know… Amethyst usually likes eating, sleeping, fighting… eating." Steven named each one off as he struggled to find a good hook for her gift. 

"How about we get her something that you care about personally?" Pink asked as she joined the two, understandably giving up on the chair, which was now crudely bent in half. 

"Like a stuffed toy, or how about an old console?" 

"I don't know, those game consoles cost a large buck or two." Greg added, "But if you think it works better, then let's try it." 

"Okay, we got Amethyst's gift," Steven picked up a pencil and drew it on the paper, with her name written above. "Now, how about Pearl's?" 

Greg turned his head away, not having any ideas come to mind. Steven already knew why, and didn't question it at all. 

"What about flowers?" Pink was quick to the thought though, and Steven liked it almost immediately. 

"Yeah, we can get her nice ones too!" Steven wrote it down quickly and then went on to Garnet. "And now… Garnet." 

Now all three hit a roadblock. Steven began brainstorming as Pink tapped her finger on the table in thought, letting it rise and fall continuously. 

"How about… hmm, how about we do hers later and we go ahead and do the ones we already have?" 

"We can do that, if you want." Greg said as he patted Steven's shoulder. The boy nodded before lifting up the paper. 

"Okay! We need a bunch of flowers and a game console from home. I can get one I don't play on anymore and a few games. Dad, you and Pink can get some flowers if you want." 

"Well, that's gonna be difficult." Pink muttered as she pointed at the window, and Steven groaned internally as he saw fat drops of rain practically blind his view to the outside. 

"Looks like we're gonna be here for a while. I'll go ahead and grab a heater and some blankets. I think I have some somewhere in the closet." Greg walked off and disappeared from the backroom. Pink shrugged and put her hands together, glancing at Steven from moment to moment awkwardly. 

Steven kept his gaze outside, fixating on some drops on the window, and sighed. ' _Let's hope this works_ ' 

* * *

**A Few Days Later**

Steven double checked the cardboard box with a worried look. It was finally the day to execute part one of the plan. Inside the box sat his old RadioCube, the nearly ancient relative of his VideoCube, which made it meet its demise. Along with the console were a few games he hadn't touched in years, neatly packed on the sides. 

He felt a kind of sadness seeing his childhood games go, but it was for the better. Picking up the box, he walked over to the temple door and set it down at his feet. Two knocks rang from the door as he waited for a reply. Hopefully, he would get Amethyst and not Pearl or Garnet. He didn't want them catching on… and getting trapped in an awkward situation. 

The temple door eventually split in two by a purple line and Steven became nervous. As it slid open and revealed Amethyst standing in her room, Steven picked up the box.

"Hey Amethyst! I-I wanted to give you something that is very close to me!" He shoved the box forward, hoping she would take it. Amethyst slowly took it from his hands and shrugged. 

"Thanks, I guess? Don't tell me this is some apology thing." 

"Maaaybe?" Steven shrugged, his tone incredibly unconvincing. Amethyst sighed and gave the box back. 

"Look man, I don't blame you for what happened. You just got dragged in. You don't have to give me anything." Her words made Steven glance down at the ground and look off to the side. 

"I just… wanted you to not be mad at me. Pearl and Garnet are still angry, but I'm working to fix that." He explained while his arms went slightly limp. 

"Well, they shouldn't be. I mean, yeah, you did keep that from us. Boner move, but it wouldn't have happened if Pink _Diamond_ didn't make you." Amethyst put her arms on her hips and scowled off to the side. 

"But I still kept it, I could've told one of you at any time! But I didn't!" He looked disappointed, more at himself than anything. He'd take anything to go back and tell them, let the secret loose early. Maybe they wouldn't have been so angry then. 

"Whatever man, I'm just sayin' you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. And forget Pearl and Garnet, they can stay angry for all I care." She walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Just don't worry. This'll blow over and they'll go back to normal. Pearl will be uptight again, and Garnet will be Garnet, so… just take that." She stepped back and entered her room as Steven took her words in. 

"I'll see ya' later man." Those were her final words to him before the temple door closed and left Steven alone, holding the box in discontent. He looked down at the box in his hands and sighed, before turning around and heading over to the couch. 

Falling down on it, he put the box on the table and stared at the ceiling for the hundredth time that week. 

* * *

**Meanwhile**

The drive through the countryside was beautiful, to say the least. Miles of crops covered the land, trees peaked over and tried to hide mountains. The road they were on seemed to stretch for miles. 

"Greg, how long till we get there?" She asked curiously, looking over her shoulder at the man driving. 

"It's gonna be a while. The town's a couple miles ahead. It'll probably be ten minutes from here." 

"Okay…" She fell silent and looked around the van. ' _It's messier than_ _I thought.'_ Some parts of the van couldn't even be seen under the trash. Granted, it wasn't as messy as Amethyst's, or her Sanctuary, but it definitely sat in third place. Her thoughts reminded her of the situation she was in with the gems. 

Placing a hand on her head, she closed her eyes and frowned.

"So… you think this'll work?" Greg spoke up curiously. 

"Maybe… but the others aren't used to Earth stuff. I remember when they first saw a television." Her words made Greg chuckle with nostalgia.

"Trust me, I know. Amethyst's the only one who really tries to look into it besides me. But… you know how she is." 

"Yeah… but this will blow over eventually. I'm more worried about Steven than anything though." Pink bit her lip in regret. Greg continued, "He admires you guys. You're his caretakers, and being split apart is probably hurting him more than anything. I mean, didn't you see him earlier?" 

"Well, yeah. But he seemed happy once we made this plan." It came out as more of a scoff, which she didn't really mean it to be. Her... annoyance, her frustration, was just leaking through. 

"I can tell you're not really into this, are you?" Greg glanced at the rear view mirror, seeing the pink gem in the back curl her legs up to her chest. 

"It's just… this isn't the first time this has happened. No matter what, it just happens. And usually... it's all my fault." 

"Well, if it's happened before, it didn't split you guys forever. This'll pass, and the Crystal Gems will be back together in no time!" He seemed to get really enthusiastic near the end, making Pink smile faintly. 

"Let's hope, I guess." She shrugged as she twirled a curl of her hair around her finger, her smile dying quickly. Soon the town they were heading to came into view. Pink got up and climbed into the passenger seat, much to the disdain of Greg after she took up most of the room in the van. She watched out the window as buildings passed by, completely lost in her mind.

Greg slowed the van down as he parked in a vacant spot on the edge of the street. In the passenger seat, Pink was leaning against the door and ducking a bit from the roof of the van. Greg turned off the ignition and tucked the keys into his pocket. 

"Alright, this should be the place. Spinello's Flowers." He directed his gaze to the flower shop next to them as Pink moved out of the way slightly. Bright yellow, blue, and white flowers sat on the window sill inside, and a sign with the shop's name hung above the front door. 

"Is that the owner's name or is that just for show?" Pink asked as she snuck glances to the shop's name. She really didn't like it, but the flowers were cute. 

Greg explained, "It's her daughter's name. Now c'mon, let's head inside." He quickly got out of the van, and caused Pink to do the same. She stopped next to the door and let Greg take initiative in going inside first. 

He paused and turned to her, "The owner's real friendly here, she'll give us a good deal… _hopefully_." He muttered the last part like a prayer as he opened the door. A little bell chime went off as the two walked in, with Pink having to duck slightly from the top of the door. 

The inside smelled like flowers, as it would. The counter was positioned just to the left of the door, with flowers resting on the sides of it, each in different but equally unique pots. Pink tapped on one as Greg walked further into the shop and greeted a middle-aged woman dressed in a flower dress. 

"Rosea, how've you been?" Greg said as he happily stuck out a hand to the woman. She turned and looked at him confusingly, before her eyes widened and she quickly took the hand. 

"Mr. Universe, it's been so long!" She smiled as she placed another hand on his. "How's Rose doin'?" 

Greg's demeanor dropped as he turned his head down slightly, "She's… no longer with us." Causing Rosea to gasp and tighten her grip in the handshake. "I… am so sorry to hear that. I had no idea. If you need anything, just let me know, okay?"

"Well, we just came to get some flowers, but thank you, really." Greg smiled as he rubbed the scruff of his neck. 

"Oh! Then let me help you. It's the least I can do," Rosea looked to the strangely tall pink woman behind him, who was holding a flower pot in her hands clumsily. "For you and your friend here." 

"Thanks, although we don't really know what to get yet." 

"Then let me start you off over here!" She led him by his hand as they walked through the shop. Greg followed behind her while Pink got distracted by different colorful flowers behind them. 

"So, what's the occasion? Is it as a gift, or did you find someone else?" 

"It's sort of an apology. Y'know, an apology gift?" 

"Okay! Well, people commonly get Roses for that. Perhaps you'd use those?" Rosea stopped as Greg looked at the pink flowers skeptically. He looked at Pink, who had finally stopped and joined them. 

She looked at the roses and frowned, glancing at Greg awkwardly multiple times. "Let's go for it." 

* * *

"Ta-da!" 

Pearl stared at Pink with a deadpan as the diamond held out a bouquet of roses to her. The pale gem flicked her eyes down at the flowers and back at Pink. 

"I got you these fl-roses! Because I know I and you are… not in nice terms now… and I wanted to show you that we don't have to… anymore." The sentence was incredibly sloppy, and was obviously un-scripted. Mix that with Pink being incredibly nervous, and you get a failure waiting to happen. 

Pearl pursed her lips together and slowly lifted her hands to the bouquet. She took them calculating and Pink quickly moved her arms behind herself. Seconds of silence went by as Pearl looked down at the roses, and Pink gulping while crossing her fingers. Then, a scoff came from Pearl as she let go of the bouquet. 

Disaster struck. The flowers dropped to the floor. And Pearl walked away without a care to the temple door, going inside and disappearing from the crime scene. Pink screamed in terror as she cupped a rose in her hand and-

* * *

"Earlier you said she didn't even take them though? She just left when she saw them." Steven chimed up as he laid his head on his hand. 

Pink sat next to him, her arms crossed under her head while she laid against the table. The two were back in the It's a Wash, apparently taking it up as their headquarters. Greg could be seen outside of the window, busy talking with a customer. 

"The truth hurts." She muttered sadly while hiding her face in her arms. Steven frowned and looked back at the planning paper. Two out of three parts of their plan have failed so far, technically. Amethyst still felt the same, and Pearl didn't even touch her gift. 

"We gotta think of something for Garnet, I know our last attempts have failed kinda but I got a feeling on this one." He didn't, ever since he tried giving his gift to Amethyst, the anxiety in his stomach grew over time until he was just left with dread. 

"I think we should stop." He looked over at Pink in surprise as she lifted her head up and sighed in defeat. "Nothing's worked. I can't even believe I thought it would." She went to stand up, but Steven grabbed her arm. 

"Wait! You can't leave yet! I know what to do now!" He lied, hoping she wouldn't tell, but if it kept her here. 

" _Steven_ ," She groaned frustratedly before crumbling back into her seat, making it creak under her. 

"Hold on, listen!" He held his palm up to her and quickly began writing on the paper. Leaning closer, he blocked the paper from Pink's view and bit the end of his pencil. What he actually wrote was complete gibberish, random words, all scribbled in a single line. 

' _C'mon, think of something Steven! Think!_ ' He could practically _feel_ Pink becoming impatient, and his mind rushed to think of anything. His eyes scattered to the text before he hopped up from his chair and brought the pencil down so hard on the paper that it split the end straight off. 

"I got it!" 

* * *

Amethyst was _majorly_ freaking out. Something shared between the three gems that stood in the living room, staring down in distraught at a piece of paper. Pearl was having another nervous attack, pacing around sporadically while looking like she could burst with a scream at any time. And Garnet's lips were curled up in a snarl as she glared at the paper. 

"We gotta find him! Garnet, can you see him or something?" Amethyst asked the tall gem, her question teetering on desperation and worry. 

Garnet didn't answer her, as she was busy travelling the rivers of time, hoping to hook onto the hybrid's location and whereabouts. 

"We have to get out there! Who knows what they did to him, or where he even is!?" Pearl screamed as she grabbed Amethyst's shoulders and held back tears. 

"Get off me Pearl!" Amethyst struggled against her before Garnet interrupted their fight, "He's at the lighthouse!" The two gems stopped and quickly climbed off each other. Pearl didn't wait at all, hastily rushing to the door. 

"Wait for me!" Amethyst yelled after her as she ran to the door, throwing it open. Garnet dropped the paper and ran after them, letting it flutter down on the ground next to broken glass from the window. 

The run to the lighthouse was one of the longest they've ever had. Now, Steven wasn't running along with them, the sun wasn't shining, and every gem was filled with terror. All that was left was rain, mud, and tears from a pearl. 

Lightning struck in the distance, highlighting the entirety of the town in a flash. The moment also lit up the old lighthouse, rain reflecting its dark figure. Garnet gritted her teeth as Amethyst and Pearl stopped at her sides. 

"Garnet, what do you see in there?" Amethyst asked, and Garnet stood still, a hand slowly lifting to her visor. A quick glance to the lighthouse made Amethyst nervous. Whoever took Steven had creepy tastes in hideouts. 

"We'll find him inside, but be on guard." She warned while summoning her gauntlets, Pearl taking out her spear right after. Amethyst took out her whip as Garnet walked over to a wall of the lighthouse. 

And promptly punched it open, leaving a huge, gaping hole in the side. And no remorse was felt, it was probably the kidnappers place anyway. 

"This way." Garnet motioned with her finger, cautiously walking inside. The others didn't hesitate in following her, but a creeping dread watched them. It felt like they were being watched. 

Garnet led the way as they entered a large, round room, which seemed to act as the base for the lighthouse's tower. The tall, silent gem walked over to a door and opened it slowly, sending a shrieking creak throughout. Pearl's nerves were jittery, every second the creaking lasted Pearl seemed to shake even more. 

Amethyst grimaced as she saw the consuming darkness of the stairway, while Garnet seemed unaffected. "He's down there." She said before stepping right in, going down into the dark. Amethyst nearly jumped when a light shined behind her, but awkwardly frowned when she saw it was just Pearl. 

The pale gem was shivering, her grip on her spear threatening to split it in two. Amethyst paused before gently putting a hand on the slender gem's arm. Pearl flinched before looking at her questioningly, her eyebrows furrowing as she glared. 

"What are you doing?" She whispered angrily, taking her arm back quickly. 

"I was just gonna say it was gonna be okay! Nevermind!" Amethyst whispered back, moving to go down the stairs. Instead a hand stopped her, taking hold of her forearm. 

"No! Wait… I'm sorry." Pearl whispered as Amethyst turned back to her. "It's just… I'm scared. We don't know who took Steven, or why, and I'm just… afraid." 

"That's why I said it's gonna be alright, Pearl. I'm scared too, but we're gonna get him back. Garnet says he's down there, so we're gonna get him back. And make whoever took him _pay_." 

Pearl nodded at her words, a short lived smile meeting her lips. It fell quickly, but she still looked at Amethyst in appreciation. "Thank you, Amethyst-"

"Down here!" They heard Garnet yell to them, and they quickly moved into action. Going down the stairway, they eventually made it into a large basement area. Garnet was standing next to a door, waiting for them. 

"Is he in there?" Pearl asked Garnet, and the gem nodded.

"And not alone." 

Pearl readied her spear, Amethyst stretched her whip, and Garnet cracked her knuckles as they got ready to fight. Everyone stood quiet before Garnet kicked the door down, sending it off its hinges. 

They rushed in the room, searching around before seeing the glimpse of a red shirt in the corner. Light rose and revealed Steven in a chair, his arms behind his back. 

"Steven!" Pearl shouted, running up to the boy and hugging him tightly. Amethyst and Garnet checked around the room, watching out for any surprise attacks. 

"You guys came! I didn't think you would!" Steven said happily, hugging Pearl back. Rope fell behind him and slid off the chair. 

"Did they hurt you? Where are they? What'd they do to you?!" Pearl examined his face as Steven squeaked in surprise. He grabbed her arm and pushed it away. 

"I'm fine. They didn't hurt me. They just… wanted to know who you guys were." 

"What'd you mean?" Amethyst asked as she walked over, and joined Pearl's side. 

"They wanted… to see you guys. Apparently, they know about how we're magic and stuff." Steven put his hands together and looked down. He suddenly smiled and jumped up. 

"And they want to mend our family back together!" 

Pearl and Amethyst both said, "What?" With a confused expression. Even Garnet joined them as her gauntlets disappeared. 

"Yep! And the person who took me was!" He pointed his hand over to the side, and they looked over. A fist shot out of the floor, breaking the wood. It tore at the planks before out came Pink, gasping for breath. 

"I _never_ want to do this again!" She coughed up dust as the others glared. 

"I… this was just some prank to get us here!? What the heck man!" Amethyst looked at Steven with a disappointed look. Garnet tsked and began walking to the door, her teeth gritting together. 

"How could you make us worry like this? And how could you actually play through with this!?" Pearl snapped at Pink, her fists shaking. 

"Wait! Here us out guys!" Steven said as he stood up, waving his hands. They didn't listen, instead walking towards the door. A sharp creaking roar made them stop as the door morphed, the wood around it swirling. It closed shut, the wood bent in an impossible angle. 

"What's going on?" Amethyst asked as she stopped, Pearl next to her while summoning a spear. 

"Be on the lookout, we're not alone." Garnet said as she resummoned her gauntlets. She backed up until she was next to Pearl and Amethyst. Steven walked over next to Pink, the two keeping their distance from the others. 

"What is this?" Steven asked Pink, eyeing the walls around them. 

"I don't know Steven, we need to be careful. This is really dangerous." She summoned her sword and glanced down at him. A pink shield appeared next to Steven. "Use it, you can move it around to protect yourself."

He nodded and grabbed the edges, rubbing his fingers across the smooth magical shield. The other gems looked around with strained eyes, Pearl and Garnet's gems illuminating the old, cracked wood. 

Suddenly, wood underneath Pearl cracked open and flashed a misty red. The skinny gem yelped in shock as she fell and grabbed the edge of the wood. Amethyst quickly tried pulling her up, but the wood closed in a flash. 

"Pearl's gone! The wood ate her! We're gonna die here!" Amethyst yelled while grabbing her head with one hand. 

"Calm down!" Garnet ordered, turning her head and missing the wall opening nearby. A black tendril made of a shadow creeped close, before rising and grabbing her around the leg. She quickly tried prying it off, before a pink blade flew through it. The sword hit the wood underneath, but the shadow let go anyway. 

"We can't touch it! It's like a ghost!" Pink said as she lifted her sword up and pointed it at the crack in the wall. The red glow from before illuminated the wall before the shadow appeared again. This time, it was enveloped by a mist, making it easily visible. 

It turned before heading straight to Steven, swirling around. Garnet jumped in the way, spinning on her heel and kicking it. The smoke puffed away and a screeching could be heard from the walls. 

Garnet, Amethyst, Steven, and Pink stood back-to-back as the screeching continued. Steven felt himself shaking at the horrid sound. Then a wall opened up, morphed, and a giant face appeared in the wall. 

It was ruby red and horrifying. Sharp teeth lined its mouth, jolting out and biting the air. The smoky tendrils began slinking across the walls before pushing in, causing the wood to burst from the pressure. 

"Get down!" Garnet yelled as the floor above came crashing down on top of them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is over 5 thousand words, so it's easily the longest one. I had to literally split it up in two, so the next chapter will have to pick it up. 
> 
> The chap's been sitting in google docs since September, so if it came out rough, then I'm sorry. Plus, I'm gonna stop putting that annoying "Kudos comment hurder hurder" at the end of every single chapter. God It's annoying me!!!
> 
> Anyway, until next time.


	18. Cracks in the Gem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven deals with the aftermath of his failed plan, while also dealing with emotions he can't control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas that I'm not late on by one day! 
> 
> I have really good news! I'm on computer now! I got a pc for Christmas so now I'm writing really fast. It's insane. So insane that I'll tell you that over last night, I bumped this chapter up from 2,000 to 7,000 words in an hour. No worries, I checked it. I think...
> 
> Just enjoy this late Christmas gift!

# Cracks in The Gem

  
  


The rain poured like a heavy wine onto the collapsed building on top of the hill. Thunder cracked in the sky as a pink shield popped out from the rubble. It pushed ahead before cracking into pieces and disappearing without a trace. 

A hand raised up and revealed Steven gasping for air. He breathed quickly as he whipped his head back and forth. His eyes strained against the water hitting him on the face. "Garnet? Pink? Amethyst? Pearl!?" He cried as he tried lifting himself out of the rubble. His foot yanked on something, sending a seething pain throughout his leg. He yelped and bit his lip. Stuck with his body halfway in the rubble, the rain blinded him and anything he could even see. 

He was met with nothing but thunder and rain dropping down on him. ' _Where are they? Are they okay? Please tell me they're okay!_ ' Why did he think this was gonna work?! It was such a stupid, _stupid_ plan! 

"Guys! Say something!" He yelled desperately as dread set in. His arms began shaking as a cold shiver ran up his spine. The rain was _freezing._ His shirt and pants were already soaked by it, making him shiver even more. As the dread in his stomach made itself known, a hand shot out from the remains of the lighthouse. 

He whipped his head to it and saw Garnet crawl out from the debris. She coughed and looked around, eventually seeing him stuck. He waved a hand and yelled, "Garnet!" His eyes nearly gained tears at the sight of the stoic gem.

She quickly walked over to him and he stuck his arms out to her, "I'm stuck, please!" Garnet didn't say a word as she summoned her gauntlets and clawed at the rubble trapping him. Soon enough, room was left for him to move his leg, and she grabbed his arms. 

"I've got you." She reassured him, and he wasted no time in escaping. His leg was untouched this time, but the pain was already there. He limped slightly, but once he was up he hugged Garnet instantly. She hugged him back. 

"Garnet, where are the others? We gotta find them!" He dropped the hug as soon as it came, looking around in an adrenaline-fueled rush. Garnet summoned her gauntlets and walked past him, "I'll check over here. You go look for them that way." She pointed to her left, making Steven nod and limp in that direction. 

His leg still burned like fire. It was probably gonna bruise, but that didn't matter right now. All that matters was helping his family. And that started with searching through the debris. 

"Pearl? Amethyst? Anyone!?" He yelled out, cupping the sides of his mouth to hopefully make himself more heard. A flash of lightning cut the sky as he roamed around the ruins. Garnet was searching around too, using her gauntlets to rummage through rocks and wood. His nerves were running cold. He had to find them. He _needed_ to find them. 

“ _Yo’, a little help!_ ” 

He heard a voice say, recognizing it as Amethyst’s. His heart began pumping against his chest as he screamed, “Amethyst?!” Running towards the sound of her voice, he found a small hole into where the basement once was. And lo’ and behold, Amethyst was halfway inside, stuck the same way he was. “A lil’ help?” 

He didn’t realize he was just smiling at her with glee, but he jumped into action when realizing and reached a hand to her. Hers wrapped around his and began pulling, causing him to do the same and pull back. It didn’t work, she didn’t budge an inch. He huffed and said, “Why don’t you just shapeshift?” 

“It’s way too cramped in here, dude! I’m uncomfortable and, argh, it hurts bro!” She winced at the light jab at her side. Steven looked panicked, “Ugh, hold on!” He turned around and looked for Garnet again. She was only a couple of feet away, already walking towards him. “Hey, I found Amethyst! I can’t get her out.” She stopped nearby and he got out of the hole, moving aside so she could try. 

Her idea of getting Amethyst out was completely different from his. His was ‘Crawl in and pull her out’. Garnet’s was ‘Punch a hole and drag her out’. She did just that. Her gauntlets crashed through, letting her quickly get in and grab Amethyst. Steven backed up slightly as Garnet came walking out of the hole with Amethyst under her shoulder. The short gem gave a thumbs up as she groaned in pain. “ _Thaaaanks._ ”

“Alright, we just gotta find Pearl and Pink. They have to-”

“Hold on Steven, get ready.” Garnet interrupted, dropping Amethyst and summoning her gauntlets. The boy looked at her questioningly before an explosion nearby sent white brick and glass up in the air. He jumped up by surprise and barely dodged some glass shards that were sent his way. His eyes looked to the cause, and then quickly widened. The weird smoke monster from earlier was rising out from the wreck, using its smoke tendrils to lift itself out. Its whole body was blood red like its face, and was shaped like a slug. And its mouth was now filled with sharp canine-like teeth instead of its human-like ones. 

If Steven’s body wasn’t already cold, then it certainly was now. 

The monster turned and noticed them, gaining veins all around its body. “Steven, go find Pearl and Pink Diamond! We’ll fight it off!” Garnet barked while holding up her gauntlets. Amethyst looked at her with fear, “‘We’ll’?” She still hasn't gotten off the ground. 

“Alright, please be careful!” He quickly ran away from them, more trying to get away from the gem monster aiming its tendrils at them then anything. Garnet got ready for the fight ahead as Amethyst sprung up and took out her whip. “How are we gonna take that thing down?”

“Go for the body!” Garnet rushed forward in a flash. 

Steven was on the hunt again, looking for Pearl and Pink. The fight between Garnet, Amethyst, and the Surprise Monster was happening worryingly nearby on his left. His mind was on the verge between trying to jump in, or continue searching. On the latter, he had a better chance of finding Pink than Pearl. At least, that's what he thought. ‘ _Pearl fell into the floor because of the monster, so maybe she's actually with it?_ ’ 

A nearby groan made him stop thinking and instead turn to his right. Crawling out from under a large piece of supports and bricks was Pink, holding a hand over her gem. “Pink!” He rushed over and grabbed her hand, trying to help her get out. She looked at Steven with gritted teeth, “Are you… okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine, but are you alright?” He glanced at the pale pink look of her and bit his lip. Pink winced at nothing and continued hiding her gem. “I’m fine. Where are the others?” Steven didn’t even need to answer when she caught sight of Amethyst on top of a gem monster, screaming to Garnet for help. 

“Pink, we have to find Pearl and defeat this thing! C’mon, let me-” He stopped in shock when catching a glimpse of Pink’s gem, seeing the edge of a _crack_. “Your… gem, it's cracked!” His eyes widened in terror at the threat. Pink moved her hand away and looked down to hide her face. “It’s not important right now, we just-” 

In an instant, a rogue tendril from the fight landed down next to the two, sending Steven flying back and Pink rolling. The smokey appendage rose in the air and grabbed onto Pink’s arm. It squeezed painfully, making the diamond cry as she was lifted up. The monster swung her around into the fight, using her to stop Garnet from taking a swing at it. Garnet gasped at the sight of Pink and was able to get struck by the monster. It raised her up, letting Amethyst see Pink, and opened its mouth under her. She clawed at the tendril before trying to create a shield. Her hope vanished as the shield flickered into existence before vanishing. The gem monster let out a _smile_ as it began loosening its grip on her. 

Then a round pink shield carved into its face, causing it to shriek and throw her away to the side. She landed on her stomach, making her gasp for air and curl up. Steven was standing a few feet away, glaring at the monster before running to Pink. 

“Are you okay?!” He asked, even though he knew the answer. She wasn’t. She was the _complete opposite_ from okay. She moved her hands, letting Steven see the crack had grown larger. A startled gasp left his lips as he covered his mouth. He heard someone behind him run up, hearing another gasp from them. 

“PD’, are you good?” It was Amethyst, seeing her fall on her knees next to Pink. The larger gem shook her head while trying to sit up. Amethyst whipped her head to Steven, “We need to help her! C’mon, get over here!” She quickly pulled Pink’s arm to get her up, wrapping behind her neck. Steven mimicked her without a fight, getting Pink’s other arm behind his neck too. They helped her up with difficulty; the pink gem heavier than they expected. She eventually made it up on her feet, with Steven and Amethyst holding her sides. With a slight wobble, she looked down at them, “T-Thanks, Where’s.... Pearl?” 

“We don’t know, we have to find her,” Amethyst looked to Garnet having trouble with the monster and breathed in. “Steven, you get her healed or something. I’m gonna help Garnet fight that thing!”

“But what about-”

“It’ll be fine! Just get her gem fixed!” She let go of Pink and ran off to the battle, leaving Steven to the injured diamond. He looked up at Pink with reassurance, “I’m gonna help you, okay? Just let me get you to the house.” His hand led her as they walked together, as Pink held a hand to her gem in pain. She struggled moving her legs, sometimes getting caught on a piece of wood. Steven prayed that his flip flops would hold against some of the glass that darted the place, so he wouldn’t have to stop leading her home. They gained a bit of distance from the destroyed lighthouse when Pink collapsed. He couldn’t stop it, but tried anyway. His hand never let go as he tried getting her up again. 

He only paused when Pink mumbled something inaudible under her breath. “What?” He asked her as he leaned closer, looking confused. 

“I _can’t_ cry. I can’t heal my gem.” She muttered again as her eyes failed to stay open, a deathly frown crossing over her features. Her form glitched, making her lose herself for a moment. It horrified Steven, who looked at her in concern before shaking his head, “I’m gonna heal you no matter what! C’mon, there’s gotta be a place we can fix your gem!” 

“T-There is… at my sanctuary.” She glanced at him with a painful smile. Tears would be down her face right now if her gem wasn’t _cracked_. Steven nodded his head vigorously, “Then let’s go. No worries, I got’cha.” He smiled back at her, helping her up to her feet with effort. His whole body was tired from summoning that shield, but he didn’t want her to worry. Instead he pushed on, taking her past the Big Donut and down the wet beach. His mind wandered to other things as they walked. ‘ _I hope they’re okay up there.’_ He glanced up at the rock cliff above, which was missing the view of the lighthouse. He hoped Ronaldo didn’t mind. 

His house came into view, pouring off dozens of gallons of water from the roof. The climb up the hill was difficult, but getting up the stairs proved to be easier. And as they reached the door, Pink fell against its frame and groaned, bending over slightly. Steven walked past her and placed a hand on her side. He waited for her while staring at the ground, chewing on his cheek.

“Steven, I’m sorry.” Pink said slowly while getting off of the door frame. The boy looked at her in confusion, “W-What? No, I should be saying that. This is all because of my stupid plan!” 

“Yes, well we wouldn’t be dealing with this if I didn’t hide Peridot from the others,” She sighed sadly, “I was foolish in thinking it would help.” With that, both went quiet. Steven ran through his head for a response, but nothing came up. Soon Pink was trying to walk again, and he helped her by holding onto her side. They made it to the warp pad soon, and Pink coughed in her hand with embarrassment. “Ugh, Steven, can you warp us there?” 

“Oh, yeah.” He put his arms out and imagined the large sanctuary, eventually causing the warp to shoot them up into a stream of light. Steven let go of her and still thought of a response. She wasn’t foolish, playful sometimes, and funny, but not foolish. She only hid it from the others so they didn’t need to worry… right? That is what she said, and she hasn’t really _lied_ to him yet. He glanced over at her; she looked ready to vomit. It was completely different to when Amethyst cracked her gem by accident. She acted completely normal, like nothing happened. 

But Pink looked completely different. Her form was paler, her hair was untangled, her gem was glowing in some places in the crack. Of course, she looked like she was gonna throw up at anytime, like he did when he was-

‘ _Augh! Off topic Seven! Right now, I need to help her fix her gem. Then we take out that monster and… apologize to the gems.’_ So much had happened in the span of today, he completely forgot the gems had angrily tried to leave. They didn’t want _anything_ to do with him and Pink. Then the monster showed up…

The warp stream ended and left them standing in the freezing cold. There didn’t even need to be rain for him to start freezing into an icicle. Pink seemed unaffected as always, but now the cold gave her nearly a blushing white. His eyes widened at the effect, as it only came in the winter, “S-Snow?” He looked around at the light powder blanketing the ground in awe. Some of the trees around them were missing their leaves, but most had kept theirs. He shook his head and remembered the mission at hand. “Aright, where do we go now?”

“Just ahead, to a small stream next to the statue.” Pink explained, slowly stepping off the warp pad carefully. Steven moved in the help, but Pink stared at him, “No… I think I can walk now.” He frowned at her term for ‘walk’ which was just a weak limp. Still, he left her alone, but it didn’t mean he was gonna completely leave her side. He stayed close to her, ready to intervene at any moment. They continued on at a snail's pace. After an uncomfortable silence, Steven decided to continue their old conversation, “You were just worried about them, y’know.” 

Pink glanced at him and shook her head, “I was an _idiot_.” That made Steven look at her bewildered. “You’re not an idiot! You were worried about them, that doesn’t make you an idiot. You’re like the leader, so of course you’ll care about them. And that means you’d hide things so they don’t worry. That's what Pearl told me."

“You don’t understand, Steven... just… let’s just continue.” She silenced herself as she stared ahead, never looking Steven’s way. The boy wanted to argue, but knew she wasn't gonna respond now. Which always happened when things went too far with her. But why now? He was just trying to make her feel better. It wasn’t her at all, not the way he knew her. He shut his mouth and watched the snow. The statue came into view ahead soon enough, smiling at nothing in particular with a little star in her hands. At least it was happy. 

The water underneath was empty now, but Steven wished he could see all the cool fish from last time he was here. They were rock fish, _rock fish_ , what was there not to love about them? 

Pink got down on her knees, careful not to fall over as she was still wobbly, and cupped water in her hands. She lifted it up slowly and poured it onto her gem. The pink diamond glowed a bright pink, mended the cracks, and returned to normal. Steven felt warmth in his stomach, and quickly said, “Alright, let's get back to the others!” He ran back down the path, leaving Pink alone on the ground. He stopped when he looked back and noticed her not coming. She was just glaring straight down into the water. 

He opened his mouth to call out to her, but she was already standing up and quickly walking towards him. Her eyes didn’t leave the ground as she passed him, continuing towards the warp. The curly haired boy chased after her, lightly jogging just to keep up. ‘ _At least she can walk again. Now we just stop that monster._ ’ He thought while they made it closer and closer to the warp pad. Its crystalline edges were joining the snowflakes in giving off a little twinkle, Making the ground seem like a white night for the daytime. Stepping onto the warp, He and Pink left in a flash of light. 

When they teleported into the house, Pink was already heading for the door. Now Steven kinda regretted this, not healing her, but just bringing up their conversation. Pink seemed just angrier than she was. Maybe it was because her gem cracked, which he hoped for instead of the latter in his brain. 

When he walked out of the house, he saw her waiting down the hill with her hands on her hips. After walking to her, she looked up at the top of the cliffs, towards the head of the statue, “I think we can make it up there faster if I jump.” With a quick glance at him, she got down on her knees and nodded her head sideways. “Come on, get on my shoulders.” 

He did just that and climbed up, resting his legs on her shoulders and his arms on her head, hands grasping at strands of super fluffy, and undeniably, curly hair. Once he was on, she bent her knees and waited a bit, before jumping off. Steven’s hands gripped on harder as the rush from jumping so high up in the air filled his lungs. Luckily, it ended as soon as it came. Pink landed rather gracefully on the ground, in her own way as she kicked her legs out quickly to stop her momentum. Steven felt his body shiver more, and he swore some ice was sticking out from his nose. 

Pink set him down with ease and looked at the collapsed lighthouse confused. There were no signs of the gems, or the creature anywhere. Steven noticed this too, getting closer to the rubble to look. “Where… are they?” 

“I don’t have a clue. Look around for them.” Pink said as she walked off past him, stepping on top of a destroyed couch to get any type of better view. Steven was careful in his search, opting for a more hands-on approach by walking around the ruins. Well, actually it would be more dangerous to anyone else, but he thought it was better. While searching through the debris, he could see where the gems and the monster fought. Holes and lines of destroyed(even _more_ destroyed) rubble were all around. It was actually kinda like… art in a sense, some of the lines led to holes and some even merged with the holes. But that was quickly thrown away by the thought of them… losing. _They couldn’t lose, they just went to Fish Stew Pizzas or something._ ’ He disarmed the dark thought while glancing at Beach City. Then he saw a low red glowing coming from the town. His eyebrows perked up in alarm at the sight. Nothing could cause those red lights, or glows, besides a fire truck. But Beach City hasn’t seen any fire trucks since Onion caused that oil fire a year back. So it was either Onion or… something not good. 

“Steven! Do you see that glow?” He heard Pink ask as she walked over to him. Nodding quickly, he looked at her and pointed at the glow slightly, “Do you think that’s…”

“It’s highly likely. We need to check it either way.” She grabbed him up by his arms and held him close to her chest. He didn’t realize they were flying up in the air until he looked back and saw that they were above Beach City. Honestly, this was getting pretty normal.

His eyes locked onto the source of the glow, seeing a red mouth ( _Check_ ), red veins ( _Check..._ ), and smokey limbs rising in the air ( _Check!_ ). “I see the monster!” He told her while looking up. She was staring at it too, Her eyes pinched together in a glare. “I do too.” 

She and him landed on top of one of the apartments near Main St. which he found interesting because of the tower on the side. But that wasn’t important now. This monster was. He walked over to the edge, being careful not to fall off of the slippery roof. The rain still hadn’t stopped, but it was lighter than earlier. And it gave a better view of the monster smack dab in the middle of Dewey Park, its face planted in the center in the ground and tendrils wrapped around the statue of Dewey himself. Yet no sign of Garnet or Amethyst anywhere. 

“I don’t see the others, I have a bad feeling about this.” Pink muttered as she got down on one knee and examined the monster with a worried frown. Steven knelt next to her, covering his eyes with a pair of _hand_ binoculars. He was literally using his hands. “They might be hiding nearby. If w-Hold up!” He yelled as he leaned forward, nearly falling off the edge if Pink hadn’t placed a hand on the back of his shirt to keep him on. Yet he wasn’t worried about that. He was more concerned about the sight of black tendrils chasing a bunch of people out of the park. That made him almost jump out of his skin. 

“It’s chasing a bunch of people! We gotta stop it, c’mon!” He looked back at her pleadingly, knowing she was his only way down. She whipped her head at him and the monster, “Hold on!” His eyes hardened as he stared at her in dismay, “Why?! It's gonna hurt those people down there!” 

“Just wait a second, we need to be careful! I want to save them too, bu-”

“I thought we worked to protect them!” He nearly screamed, hands shaking as he stood up in half a second. “What’s wrong with you?!” Before she could respond, he was already sliding down the edge of the roof. She screamed his name as he fell off, fear destroying his gut, before a pink shield formed underneath him. He looked up at Pink stretching an arm out to him, obviously putting the shield beneath him. His eyes narrowed in betrayal as he ran off towards the chased humans. 

His heart was beating his chest as he gained distance from Pink and towards the monster. His head swam with thoughts, being clouded by fear and anxiety. How was he gonna save them? What could he do? He needed to think without the time to. ‘ _What can I do?! Mayb-Shield!_ ’ He remembered his weapon, his mom’s shield. He’s already summoned it, but how? The monster’s tendrils noticed him and raised to attack. His thoughts went to the gems, how they cared for him, how they saved him multiple times, his will to _protect_ them. The pink quartz gem on his stomach glowed a pale pink and his body felt a flash of exhaustion. A quick glance down revealed his mom’s shield hovering near his wrist. A victorious smile reached his lips, covered by a struggling sneer.

‘ _With this shield.... With this shield I can_ **_protect_ ** _them!_ ’

He dodged a tentacle of smoke aimed for his head as he ran towards the people. He recognized some of them, especially the Cool Kids, Onion, and the one cashier at the supermarket he sees sometimes. It was enough to make his sneer grow and his legs lose the painful stabbing in them. Another tendril of smoke was shooting towards them, and he had no chance of dodging. He blocked the blow head on, absorbing the heavy hit and siding a few inches on his feet. The tendril reeled back and fell on the floor, allowing him to lift his shield up and cut it on the edge. The smoke rose up as the tendril retreated. He puffed out gasps of breath and started towards the people again before a smoke tentacle grabbed him by the leg and dragged him up into the air. 

He could feel his body become warmer and a pressure building up in his lower body. The tentacle slowly led him to the creature’s mouth as he tried getting out of its grip. It just continued before a pink longsword sliced it in half and fell to the ground. The monster shrieked out across the park as it retracted its tendrils to itself. Steven fell on the ground but quickly lifted his head in surprise to see Pink standing in front of him, picking up her sword off the ground. She glanced back at him with a guilty look before focusing back on the monster.

The monster aimed its tendrils defensively, ready to block and intercept any attack. Pink just let out an intense smirk and took her longsword with two hands and ran. Tendrils shot out at her, aiming towards all over, and she formed a shield underneath herself. Another formed, then another, and soon she was jumping from shield to shield, dodging tentacles of smoke all the way until she was right above the monster. She jumped off, the shields forming a barrier between her and the smoke-like tendrils. Aiming her sword downward, the monster tried intercepting, and failed. 

Her sword ran into the form of the monster, making it _scream_ in agony. Steven had to cover his ears from the intensity of it. Pink felt her entire form shake and make her lose balance, letting the monster angrily swipe her in the side. She went flying across the park, flipping and rolling before digging her sword into the ground and stopping her momentum. A quick glance back made her realize she was in front of the group of humans, who… decided it was a good idea to watch the fight, There was even a hotdog vender- _ohmygods._

“You all need to stay back and leave the area! It isn’t safe!” She yelled at them, looking at the vendor specifically. They all protested before she sent up a shield wall, blocking a huge tentacle attack from the monster. The crowd went quiet and walked back, trying to finally escape the battle happening with mumbles. She sighed a breath of relief and turned back to the fight, seeing Steven run towards the monster- _OHMYGODS!?_

The boy was in full sprint mode, not stopping for a second and sweating buckets to reach the gem abomination attacking his home. His whole body screamed at him to stop, but he wouldn’t yield. Whatever he did to summon his shield, it was fueling him on in ways he didn’t think were possible. He didn’t have his shield anymore, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t grab a sharp pole left by the monster’s rampage. Without stopping at all, he ducked under a tendril and moved in a weak ‘zigzag’ pattern. Coming up on the monster, he saw it striking towards him, so he raised the pole at the stab wound left by Pink and brought it down with the strength of a gem. The monster screamed again, causing his bones to rattle in his body. His hands never let go, bringing the pole in deeper into the monster.

He was slammed in the chest, making him lose the air in his lungs and go flying. His whole chest area hurt, and he was probably _bleeding_ at this point. He couldn’t comprehend anything around him, his will dying inside of him like his body soaring in the air. But unlike his body, his will wasn’t caught by a large feline pet that let him land on its back. His eyes flickered to life and he felt soft hair underneath him. A hand rubbed itself along the hair before a low growl made him strain his eyes open and see Lion looking back at him. “L-Lion?!” 

The pink magical lion simply blinked at his excitement with nothing. He turned his head back at the monster and painfully leaned forward, “Lion… I need you to stop that t-thing.” With that, he grabbed onto Lion’s mane and groaned in pain. The animal had no trouble following his orders and roared at the monster. Lion began running towards the gem monster, sending out a pink blast that decimated the smoke tentacles. Nearby, Pink was watching Lion run toward the monster and raised a small shield wall up. 

Lion continued sending pink blasts towards the monster before reaching it. The pink feline clawed at the side of the monster before running back the way he came. The gem monster pulled some of its body out from the ground and stuck out its tongue, forming a bloodshot eye on the end. Then that eye froze when it was crushed by a pink spiked shield. 

And with that, the monster poofed into a red mist and left a gaping crater smack dab in the center of Dewey Park. Lion came to a stop as Steven regained some consciousness and coughed. He glanced around and saw the crater in the middle and smiled. Turning his head to Lion, he petted his mane and cooed, “Good boy, Lion.” 

The feline growled slightly and fell down on his stomach, and Steven saw this as a chance to leave. He made his way to the crater, but nearly fell before a hand caught him. Glancing up at his savior, he realized it was Pink. She smiled down at him softly and helped him stand. “Here, I got you.” He let her take hold of him and pull him into her arms, letting him rest against her neck. They both made it to the edge of the crater and saw Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl lying at the bottom. 

Pearl hugged herself and rocked herself from side to side, “Never again… never again.” She kept repeating while shivering at the experience. Amethyst seemed to have a more nonchalant but unpleasant look, “Jeesh… now I know what it feels like to be food.” She groaned and looked at Garnet, who was smiling uncomfortably. The shade wearing gem gained a shiver up her spine before going back to a resting face. None of them noticed the two up at the edge before Steven wiggled out of Pink’s grasp and slid down. He yelped when he tripped and fell face first near them, gaining their attention. The gem boy just hopped back up and cried, “You guys are okay!” 

He ran up and hugged on Pearl, who awkwardly laughed and hugged back. Pulling away, he asked, “Are you guys alright? Me and Pink left and you were gone and the monster was hereandwehadtofightitandIgothurtrealbadbutitsokay-”

“Steven! Take a deep breath!” Garnet instructed as she reached over to him. He gulped down air and exhaled loudly, before repeating the process. He was calmer now and didn’t realize he was crying tears. “A-Are you gu-”

“Yes, Steven. We’re okay. But what about you? You look really beat up man.” Amethyst said as she eyed the huge bruises forming on his body. He glanced down at it and gained a grim look in his eyes, “If I don’t think about it, it doesn’t hurt. But I’m glad you guys are okay. I… I almost thought we… lost you guys.” It was getting harder for him to breath as he fought off a sob. They let him have a moment before he was fine enough to say, “So… what are we gonna do about the damage?”

“Hold it! Last time I remember, we were on in the lighthouse because you tricked us.” Pearl said as she pointed a finger up. “Would you mind explaining why we were even down there again?”

“Well… um… I got you guys to go down there so me and Pink could apologize.” Steven awkwardly crossed his fingers together and looked down at the ground. He didn’t see the angry look on Amethyst’s face until she said, “Dude, you didn’t need to make it look like you got kidnapped! What was up with that? We thought we lost you again!” 

The boy shrunk in on himself before Garnet spoke up, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Steven, I’m very _disappointed_ in you.” 

His eyes intensified as he hung his head down at the ground, his hands grabbing his soaked jeans tightly. As the gems start to continue, he mumbles something under his breath while glowering at the cracks underneath him. Pearl raises an invisible eyebrow, “What did you say?” 

“ _I said I did_ **TRY**!” He shouted with rage, his head swinging up to glare at them. Tears were still falling down his cheeks as they looked at him in surprise. “I tried for the past _two weeks_ to get your attention! BUT NO, you ignored me! I even planned to get you gifts, but you didn’t take ‘em!” He stood up and threw his arms out angrily. “And the only way to get you guys to talk was to pretend I was _missing_!” His cheeks were blood red as Amethyst opened her mouth to speak, but Steven directed his anger to her, “And you! You said you weren’t mad at me! You were mad at Pink! But you still ignored me like them! What, you think I wouldn’t notice?! I felt bad for you guys, and you didn’t care at all!” His tears began doubling, but he ignored the stinging. As he tried to continue, Pearl jumped in. 

“That’s enough! You need to calm down!” Pearl said in frustration while jabbing a finger in his direction. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted. “Steven… enough.”

His head whipped around to glare at Pink, who looked at him with knowing eyes, “Let’s go home.” He lifted a hand to point at the gems, but Pink stopped him by shaking her head, staring into him. The fight in him died as his throat stung from the yelling. He gave one last glower at the gems before climbing out of the hole to Pink. She lifted him out and placed him down, but kept his hand in her arm. Although it felt uncomfortable having to bend up that high, he gladly accepted it. 

Pink led him out of the park and down the street, before letting go of his hand and stopping. She let out a tired sigh as he placed a hand on her arm. “Are you alright?” He felt like he’s asked that question a thousand times today, but right now it felt different. A light tinge of pink was coming off of her, making him retract his hand soon after placing it. It went away in a second, and Pink nodded her head at him. “I’m fine, but… thanks for asking.” She sent him a weak smile that made him straighten up a little bit and smirk. 

“That’s nice to hear.” He shrugged before chuckling, making Pink laugh with him. It ended soon though, not because of a want to, but because Greg’s van was barreling down the road. It shrieked to a stop near them and Greg jumped out in a rushed panic. “Steven!” 

“Dad!” He ran up to his old man and squeezed him. Greg got on his knees and brought in the hug. “Oh Steven, are you okay? I heard about the commotion downtown by some kids who came over and said you were here. I came as soon as I could!” 

“I’m alright, dad!” Steven reassured him, but once he took a look at his boy, he reeled back. “You are hurt!” He eyed the bruises forming on Steven’s arms, and looked at him for an explanation. 

“It’s fine, really. I can’t even… ow, feel it.” Steven sent a pained smile with fake enthusiasm, making Greg frown in worry. “Steven, I’m not sure-HOLY!” He yelped when he saw the damage that raged right behind Steven. How could one place hold so much fire???

Steven glanced back and realized why he reacted like that, “Oh yeah, that was just from a monster that caused us trouble.” Greg gulped, “T-T-Trouble?” He felt his gut drop at the term. “Trouble doesn’t destroy buildings, that’s chaos!?” 

A short but curt cough made Greg meet eyes with Pink, who said, “Greg, I think it would be good if Steven stayed with you for a couple of days.” That made Steven’s eyes widen and turn to her in shock. “What? But I-”

“Please, it would be good to get him out of the house. I also think you should spend some time together.” 

Greg nodded at her stern look and smiled at Steven comfortingly, “Alright, c’mon Schtu-ball, you wanna get something to eat?” But Steven just stared at Pink in disbelief. After everything they just did and she’s sending him away. Why would she do that? He looked up at Greg and slowly nodded, “Sure, I am a little hungry after that whole monster thing.” His tone tried to portray a nonchalant feeling, but his face betrayed it completely. Greg patted his shoulder and he led him to the van, “C’mon, I’ll get you some Cookie Cats on the way back.” 

* * *

Steven bit into his Cookie Cat in thought. His ukulele was leaned against the van wall next to him, lying untouched while waiting to be played. Across from him was Greg, playing a short tune over and over again to get it just right. After he noticed Steven’s contemplative stare, he spoke up, “So buddy, you wanna tell me how your apology went?” 

Steven looked up at him startled, but slowly nodded afterwards. “Well, it… didn’t really work out… at all. I'm pretty sure you already saw how it… ended.” He glanced at the doors of the van, towards the outside. Greg thought for a second before sighing and saying, “Must not have gone good then… look, I’m really sorry it didn’t turn out well.” He rubbed the back of his neck as Steven took another bite of his Cookie Cat and said, “I just didn’t know what to do, y’know? They just didn’t want to listen at all.” He felt his body deflate as he let out a tired sigh. His hand rested against his head as Greg glanced down at his guitar.

“Well, Steven… forgiveness takes time. Getting a dozen gifts saying sorry might not do it, but just time for them to think on it will get you far. Being sincere about it will be your best bet with them.” 

“But… they won’t even get near me! The only reason they didn’t go away this time was because they got eaten by a monster.” He argued, becoming more and more tired of it all. He just wanted things to go back to normal. 

“They will eventually; they care about you, Steven. Yes, they can be rude sometimes, but they’re good people. Soon enough, they’ll forgive you.” Greg’s words made Steven stare down at his half-eaten Cookie Cat and frown sadly. 

* * *

**A Few Days Later**

His eyes were glued to the television as one of the most intense battle scenes in history played out before him. That’s right, the final battle of the live action remake of the first Lonely Blade! This was the best he’s felt since everything with the gems started! Literally nothing could interrupt this moment. 

Until the temple door opened and he quickly paused the movie. He eyed the door as the gems walked out into the house. He quickly turned his head back to the t.v. and drummed his fingers on the floor. The gems topped near the kitchen before Pearl walked up near the living room and called up to Steven, “Hello Steven, how are you doing?” He perked up and looked down at her, before giving a confused stare at them. “What’s… goin’ on guys?” 

Garnet looked at the two before stepping up, “Steven… we have something we need to tell you.” Her hands crossed over each other as the boy’s eyes widened at her words. “I apologize for acting so rashly, but we were all too frustrated to think of the situation and the consequences of our behavior. We took it too personal, forgetting the fact that you are just a kid,” She, in a rare instance, took off her visor sunglasses and showed Steven her three sympathetic eyes. “I’m sorry.” 

Steven’s eyes pooled with new tears, threatening to spill out as Pearl stepped up, “Yes… and we should’ve put this behind us much sooner. But I’m sorry for making you feel neglected.” She hung her head as Amethyst took her turn. “Yeah man, I’m sorry for leaving you alone. But I was mad too, and didn’t want to tell you. I’ll try and make it up, I swear.” She raised a fist and gave him an apologetic but reassuring look. 

It was too much and he ran downstairs to them, hugging Pearl and Amethyst while he cried. They looked surprised but quickly joined it. Garnet walked up and joined in too, wrapping her hands in. “‘M… ‘m sorry!” He sniffed and sobbed, “I’m sor’wy!” His tears and sobs were getting in the way of his words, making him slur his words. It felt like minutes had passed when Steven had ran out of tears and slowly pulled away, his eyes red. “I’m sorry for lying to you guys. I’m sorry for yelling at you. I just wanted everything back to normal and I messed it up an-”

“Steven, it's okay. We forgive you.” Garnet cooed as he let out a delayed sob. His mind couldn’t even process it. After nearly three weeks… it finally happened. His thoughts calmed at the realization, finally taking a break for the first time since the car wash plans. But one thought gnawed at him still. He got his apology, but he wasn’t the only one who wanted it. So he opened his mouth to ask, but was interrupted, “We’re still thinking about it, Steven. We still need time.” 

He nodded and hugged the harder, before pulling away and asking, “So… what happened while you guys were angry? Did you go on any strange missions?”

“Well, we ran into this monkey thing that one time, the super tall one Garnet fought.” Amethyst looked at Pearl as she pointed up. “Yeah, that thing was awesome. Hairy too, and it had like these big arms and legs, feet and stuff.” Steven’s eyes widened at the mental image of the creature. “That sounds awesome! Wait, are you guys doing anything later?” 

“We don’t have any missions today, if that’s what you’re asking.” Pearl answered, making Steven jump up from the hug. He had stars in his eyes at an idea. “Then let's make a Together Breakfast to celebrate! We can all work together again!” 

“Steven, it’s four in the afternoon.” Pearl commented, giving him a light deadpan.

Steven didn’t lose his enthusiasm, “Then a Together Brunch! C’mon, it’ll be delicious! We’ll build a mountain of flavors!” 

And they did.

The ‘Together Brunch’ was magnificent. Four stacks of pancakes, six bags of popcorn, two bags of chips, and five strawberries made up the work of art on the kitchen island. Steven and Amethyst were munching on the palace of waffles, and even Garnet had taken a bite herself. She let out a smile at Steven before letting it drop and staring at the door. A frown spread across her lips. 

She never told the others about the crying gem outside that she knew was there, leaning against the door with tears down her face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said in the beginning notes, this chapter is over 7,000 words long and 40,0000 characters. It's the longest chapter... my hands need a break. I'm on the fence about splitting this story up into multiple works, starting with season 1 then two and so on. Tell me what you think, because I'm stuck on it. 
> 
> Also, I edited some chapters and rewrote scenes in Ocean Gem, Rose's Scabbard and Warp Tour, and rewrote all of Laser Light Cannon. I found a name for this AU, Crystal Pink AU. So if you like this enough to make art or something, you can call it that! Please, it would be so awesome to see that stuff. Don't mind me beggin', just read!
> 
> I hope nothing bad happens next chapter ;)


	19. The Encore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Amethyst have a snowball fight, until a hand appears in the sky and changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me start off by saying, we're there. 
> 
> That's it, enjoy.

# The Encore

The small bedroom was a mess. Blankets were piled up in a corner, games were stacked next to his t.v, and his plushies and pillows were thrown about everywhere. But it didn’t matter for his mission. His eyes narrowed at the wardrobe at the end of his room as he cracked his neck. “Let’s do this.” 

Steven slid on the first jacket, then the next over it. He pulled up his new winter pants and tied his boots tight against his legs. He slid on two pairs of mittens, and then more mittens over that. After putting on two toboggans, he put a large trapper hat on top and crossed his arms. He stopped near the front of the door before two hands landed on his shoulders. 

“Alright, Steven… are you ready for this?” Amethyst asked as he slowly nodded and saluted. “I’m ready.” 

She walked past him and grabbed the handle to the front door, before breathing in and throwing it open. She waved her arm out quickly, “Go! Go! Go!” 

Steven screamed, “I’m ready for the hardships of war!” And ran forwards. He could barely jog, but it didn’t matter when he slammed into a wall of snow blocking the outside. His back was hitting the floor before he knew it. 

Amethyst appeared next to him and lifted his head, “Are you still conscious, soldier?” He groaned and shook his head. “I… couldn’t break their defenses… I’m sorry.” 

“What in the world are you two doing?” Both turned their heads to Pearl, who was comfortably sitting on a stool in the kitchen. She was giving them a confused frown as Amethyst answered, “We’re trying to get past all this snow, duh?” 

“There’s a bunch blocking the door.” Steven added afterwards, trying to stand up in the cold-proof armor. Pearl shook her head and stood up. She walked over with a narcissistic smile and said, “If you want something done, you’re gonna need to do more than run at it.” She reached up to her gem and pulled out a snow shovel, sending her smile at Amethyst. The short gem just rolled her eyes as Pearl attacked the snow. As she went on, her smile disappeared and turned into a scowl. Amethyst and Steven were making a show of it, watching her as she seemed to actually take it seriously now. Soon they were standing outside on the porch, staring at Pearl in disbelief. She was panting as the entire porch was cleared of the snow. 

Steven looked on at the white beach, surprised at how different it looked without the golden sand next to the water. It looked more bleaker than the summer, when the sun was covering the sand with fiery yellows and reds at the end of the day. 

“Whew… that was harder than I anticipated. Luckily one of us here is competent enough for the job.” She wiped away a fake sweat drop from her forehead and sighed with a shrug. Amethyst shook her head and walked past Pearl, “Thanks, I guess.” She fell on the railing as Pearl smiled. “Nice to see you’re so thankful.” 

“Yeah, thanks Pearl!” Steven chimed while slowly going down the stairs onto the hill. He stopped and looked up to Amethyst, “C’mon, let’s have a snowball fight or build a fort or something!” The purple gem gave a thumbs up and jumped over the railing, landing next to him while the snow cleared away from her feet. Steven looked impressed and ran down the hill, “Let’s go!” 

He picked up a glob of snow and began piling it up in a square. Amethyst was doing the same a few feet away, using her shapeshifting to do it quicker. Steven felt a chill in his hands and rubbed them together, thinking out loud, “Hope dad’s warm. It sucks Connie couldn’t come over-” 

His thoughts were interrupted when a snowball landed against the side of his head, making him stumble and glare at Amethyst. “Hey! No fair! We said we weren’t gonna start yet!” She just smiled and aimed another one, now standing behind a completed wall of snow. 

“Surprise attacks don’t care about rules!” She threw another, making Steven yelp and duck behind the snow. He began quickly dogpiling as much as he could to defend himself. Once it was at a comfortable level, he began making his own snowballs. A quick glance let him know that Amethyst wasn’t standing above hers, and he narrowed his eyes and looked around. 

Then a crunch made him jump away as Amethyst threw one behind him. He quickly tried throwing his snowball at her, but it missed by a mile as Amethyst laughed. He picked up more snow and ran, trying his best to make a ball. Instead, he got a messy clump, but it was close enough. Glancing back, he saw Amethyst chasing him and tried running up the hill. He stopped after reaching the stairs and threw it at her. The gem shapeshifted to dodge it, and Steven yelled, “Hey, that’s cheating! I should’ve hit you!” 

“Is it really cheating if you can do it, too?” 

  
  


“What is _that_?” Steven and Amethyst froze at the question and looked up at the porch. Pearl was standing on the edge, staring up while covering her eyes a little bit. The two looked up at the sky past the clouds clearing away, giving view to a small green figure in the sky. 

* * *

Everyone was standing on the beach with a telescope set up in the snow. Steven watched Pearl as she backed away after using it and began shaking. Her arms hugged her stomach as she whispered something. 

“Yo’, what did you say?” Amethyst asked after noticing. Pearl then cried out, “They’re coming!” Before hugging Amethyst in a death grip, crying into her neck. Amethyst began wrestling with the skinny gem as she said, “Get off me Pearl!” 

Garnet looked through the telescope before scowling and gritting her teeth. Steven stepped up and said, “Let me see.” 

She gave it up and he pulled it near him. On the other side was a green ship shaped like a hand pointing straight at him. Lines trailed around it like plating, and his eyes widened. “It’s a ship.”

“WHAT!?” Amethyst screamed, letting go of Pearl as she stared at Steven in disbelief. Steven saw Pink walk up and take the telescope, looking through it for a couple of seconds, then sucking in a hiss of breath. She glared at the sky as her pupils turned white instead of black. Steven stared up at the sky and asked, “What’re we gonna do? Why are they coming here?” 

“We’re gonna stop it.” Was the curt response he got from Pink as she sneered at the ship in the sky. Amethyst gave up trying to get Pearl off her, and decided to say, “Why don’t we just scare them off like what we did last time.” 

“Last time caused the planet to get wiped. We need to stop them from landing.” Garnet stated as she glanced at Amethyst, then turned her gaze to Pink. Steven eyed Garnet warily. ‘ _Wiped the planet? What?_ ’ 

“We need to get the cannon out. That ship _cannot_ land.” Pink trudged back to the house as Steven looked up at the green ship and bit down on his lip, leaving marks on it. 

* * *

The Laser Light Cannon was sitting on a flat area on the beach, lying dormant. Steven rubbed his chin as the gems discussed their plan nearby. 

“But how are we gonna get it up? If we did what we did last time, then we would struggle to aim it for even five seconds. We need a more effective way of holding it up.” Pearl said as she hugged her arm with her hand. 

“What we need to do is… well, fuse perhaps?” She looked to the others and shrugged weakly. 

“Yeah, but who are we gonna use?” Amethyst asked, and the gems crossed their arms in thought. 

“Wait… how about we pile up all of the snow around here and use it to prop up the cannon instead?” Steven spoke up, pointing his hands at the ground. The gems looked at each other skeptically, besides Pink who shook her head, “It doesn’t matter what we use. We just have to get it pointed up there.” 

“Alright, then let’s try Steven’s idea.” Amethyst said with a shrug, quickly getting up snow in her hands. The others followed suit, getting up snow and piling it up under the cannon’s barrel. It was hard, but after a few minutes, the cannon was pointed up at the hand ship. Steven put in the last chunk before getting behind the cannon and placing a hand on it. 

“If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hotdogs.” He smirked triumphantly when the cannon began glowing and its barrel began extending outwards into the shape of a rose. It hummed before a beam of light came screaming out, shooting off towards the ship. Everyone watched as the ship opened its palm and absorbed the shot into a green shield. It flickered away as Steven’s jaw dropped. 

‘ _Wh-What?_ ’ 

The gems looked mortified, with Pearl shaking, Garnet scowling, Amethyst holding her head in disbelief, and Pink’s cheeks and nose glowing a bright shade of pink. Steven breathed in a shot of icy air and said, “W-We have to shoot it again! If we shoot again, maybe it’ll-”

“It won’t work. That ship has a shield around it. There’s _nothing_ we can do.” Garnet said while diverting her head to the ground. Steven shrunk and walked up to her, “There has to be something we can do! We can’t just be useless!” 

“Steven, you have to leave.” Pink muttered, making the boy look up at her in confusion. She got down on her knees and looked him straight in the eyes, “You have to go with Greg and leave. You can’t stay here when they come.” 

Steven barked, “I’m a Crystal Gem! I have to-”

“You’re just a _kid_! If you stay, you’re gonna get hurt!” She was glaring at him coldly, but a hint of concern burned behind her eyes. Steven opened his mouth to argue back, but shut it quickly when Garnet said, “She’s right, Steven. You need to leave with Greg.” 

Steven’s eyes flicked between them before they fell on the snow. ‘ _All those missions… are you telling me it was all useless?! I’m one of them! I need to stay and protect Beach City, all of my friends!_ ’ 

“Steven, please,” He looked up to see Garnet looking at him worriedly, her visor shifted down so he could see all three eyes. His fight died down and he slowly nodded, biting back tears. Garnet pushed her visor back up and looked at Pink, “I’ll tell the mayor to begin evacuation of the city.” She jumped away and left Steven staring at the ground. 

Amethyst came up from behind and patted his shoulder, “C’mon buddy, it’s for the best. That way you won’t die.” Steven whipped his head around at her with a mortified expression, making her awkwardly gulp. 

“Please Steven… just listen to us.” Pink said before standing up and walking towards the city, “Come on, let’s get Greg.” 

* * *

Steven grunted as he carried his stuffed Cheeseburger backpack and a hot dog duffel bag over his shoulder. Greg was behind him a few feet away, carrying his own bags filled with Steven’s belongings. Steven glanced up at Lion sleeping on the roof and sighed dejectedly. His dad noticed this as he put in a bag and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it's gonna be okay, Steven. Everything’s gonna be fine.” 

Steven glanced over at his dad and slowly nodded, even though he doubted his words. He looked over his shoulder and saw the gems nearby, eyeing the ship. Steven looked back at his dad, “Hey, is it okay if I say goodbye?” 

“Sure, just don’t take too long. That ship’s giving me deja vue.” Greg frowned up at the hand ship as Steven put in his stuff and walked away. He trudged through the snow over to Amethyst, who noticed him and smiled. She hugged him as soon as he came into range and said, “Be careful little man. Listen, we’re gonna be okay dude, don’t worry.” 

Steven pulled away and nodded, “I know.” He looked up at Pearl as she came in and placed her hands on his shoulders. She gave him a reassuring smile, “We’ll come get you as soon as this is over. Then we can watch more of those weird movies with the swordsman again.” She stroked some of his hair before taking back her hands and standing up. 

Steven smiled weakly at the two before seeing Pink waiting a few feet away, staring at him before glancing to the side. He walked past the two gems and came up to Pink. Silence fell between them as he tried finding words for her, but he didn’t need to. She dropped down on her knees and brought him into a tight hug, nearly crushing him. 

“You’ll be safe this way. Just wait a little bit and it’ll all be over, okay?” She said as Steven tried his best to hug her back. His eyes widened when he heard her mutter, “ _I love you._ ”

He was able to get out of the hug a bit and look up at her with a smile. “I love you, too.” 

She had a tear falling from her eye when Greg called out to Steven. “Hey Steven, you ready? We gotta go fast before traffic gets packed!” 

Steven glanced back at him before hugging Pink quickly, “I’ll come back for you guys, I promise.” She sighed but smiled as he trudged back to the van and got in. Before he could close the door, he noticed the gems waving at him. He waved back and weakly grinned, before closing the door. 

His smile instantly got replaced with a terrified frown, and he placed a hand on his stomach to help ease the queasy feeling in him. Greg got in and buckled up, while Steven did the same and stared out ahead at nothing. A dread filled the air around him that refused to go away. Everything else in it evaporated into this feeling of anxiety in its purest form: _fear_. Suffocating his usual happy and cheery attitude. 

“Welp, you ready to hit the road, Steven?” Greg asked with a kind smile, looking over at the boy. Steven nearly jumped as the dread hid itself away. “Y-Yeah, let's get goin’.” He squirmed around in the seat and smiled. It tugged on his lips a little too forcefully. 

Greg turned on the van and adjusted his mirror before stepping on the gas. Steven looked out the window at the hand ship. It was bigger, way _bigger_ , than it was earlier this morning. An ominous glow was coming from it, he noted. The snow on the beach was reflecting a light green. It didn’t help that the sky was hiding an array of reds and blues, giving the air a dark purple. Unnaturally so, which just fitted the mood with an inescapable foreboding of what’s to come.

Greg shivered, even though he had a cherry covered sweater on, and turned up the heat. “Gosh, it’s freezing! Luckily, I know this burger joint called Pepe’s Burgers just down the highway we can stop at.” Steven’s eyes lingered on the notches for far too long, before he meagerly chuckled and said, “That’s great.” His dad looked over and dropped his happy attitude for a second. “Listen Steven, it’s gonna be okay. The gems have dealt with worse before.” 

The boy looked over at Greg and lowered his head. “I hope that when they come… Peridot… she’ll see how pretty Earth is and all the nice people here… and won’t hurt them. Maybe she’ll go home.” His dad smiled a bit but looked back at the road with a frown. 

They sat in silence as Beach City became smaller and smaller behind them. The road ahead had a line of cars driving bumper to bumper, like a huge caravan. Greg decided to speak up while looking out the window. 

“Well… it’s not that easy. These gems that’re coming, they don’t care about us, or the planet. They didn’t the first time-” Greg stopped himself quickly and glanced at Steven. The boy was staring dead at him with curious eyes, “What first time?” 

“It… it was a long time ago, Steven. The gems should be telling you this stuff, I wasn’t there when it happened.” 

“Where?” Greg went quiet, making Steven speak up again. “Dad, what happened, where?” 

“On Earth, okay! There was a war thousands of years ago, Steven. A lot of gems didn’t come back, people too. They hurt the planet a long time ago when they came here. Now they just work to make up for it, but the damage is done, and they can’t forgive themselves for it. They just don’t want you thinking of them like.... _That_.”

Steven’s eyes grew narrower, “Like what?” Silence. “Like what?!” 

  
  


“ **Aliens** , Steven! _Aliens_ who _invaded_ Earth!"

“What?” He let out one word, his eyes wide as his hands shook. His body turned forward as his hand wrapped around the edge of the window.

“They just didn’t want you worrying about that stuff! When the gems first came, they-”

“ ** _Much older_** **_than_** **_any human_**!”

“ ~~ _No, no._ ~~ **_We don't age_ ** _, ~~but we can still get hurt and die.~~_ ”

“ ~~ _Wait a minute, gems? Are you talking about those_ ~~ **_aliens_** _?_ ”

 _“ ~~If something tried to~~ _ **_come from space_** _, ~~it would be through here,~~ ” _

“B-B-But… what about the war! They won… so everything’s good, r-right?” 

Greg winced, “There isn’t ever a good war, kiddo. They barely drove them off last time. And it cost them all of their friends. Now they’re working to fix all of it. But… l-let’s not think about that right now.” 

Steven reached towards his gem, fingers wrapping around its edges under his shirt. 

“ _Working to fix all of it.”_

‘ _Fix all of it…_ ’ 

_Electricity struck near him as he dodged the_ _skull’s strikes._

_The plate cracked in his hand as he pushed back on the abomination ahead._

_His body was flying as the sand burned his eyes and cracked his lips._

_The water around him felt suffocating as he followed her._

_He pushed away the orb as it stabbed him with volts of electricity._

“ **I need to go back**.”

_His bones rattled as the monster roared and burned his ears._

_Every inch of his body froze as his mother stared at him in shock._

_He watched as the green fist rose above him and came down carelessly._

_The wood cracked around him before crashing down._

_His legs creaked and burned with pain as he ran ahead._

“W-What!?’ 

“I _have_ to go back! Turn the van around!” Steven began begging him as he leaned over. Greg looked at him with wide, terrified eyes. “You can’t go back! Who knows what will happen to you!” 

“I have to protect them! They’ll get hurt!”

“No! I won’t lose you like this! You’re just a kid, Steven!” Tears pooled from the corners of his eyes as his hands squeezed the steering wheel. 

Steven glared up, “I’m… **_I’M A CRYSTAL GEM, TOO_**!” He punched down on the glovebox and dented it, sending cracks all around it. Greg went quiet as Steven pulled away his fist slowly and turned to his dad, “This is the whole reason I’ve been going on missions! I need to be there when they’re in trouble!”

“You’ll get _killed_!” 

Steven’s eyes burned with fury before he reached forward and grabbed the wheel. Greg’s eyes shot up in surprise as he cried, “What are you doing?!” The two wrestled before the van began sliding to the side, making Steven let go instantly and reel back. What did he do?!

The van turned to the right and plowed into a snowbank, and continued off the road. It’s momentum was stopped by a large hill of snow, but the damage was already done. Steven opened the door and crawled out, coughing from the impact. He looked at the front and saw how crumpled up it was, then gasped. He looked back up at the road and saw cars stopping, and even some people coming down the hill to them. Lion looked dazzled as he got up from the ground and shook the snow off of himself. 

“Steven! Are you okay?” Greg called out as he ran past the back of the van. When he saw the boy standing dejectedly in the snow, he ran up and hugged him while crying. “Please, don’t do that again! I thought you were hurt! Please…” He sobbed as Steven returned the hug hesitantly. After a while, Steven pushed him back, “Dad… please, I need to help them.” 

“I don’t want to lose you, too.” 

“You won’t dad, please. I don’t have a choice.” Greg sucked in air and slowly placed his hands on Steven’s shoulders. He sobbed for a few seconds before whispering, “Just… come back safe. Please.” 

Steven hugged him around the neck, “I will.” They stayed like that for some time before someone nearby asked, “Are y’all alright?” 

Greg dropped the hug and answered, “Yeah, we’re fine. Nobody’s hurt!” Steven looked over at Lion and walked over to him. Lion growled and yawned lazily as Steven whispered, “C’mon, we need to get back to the gems.” The pink feline stood up after a few seconds and let Steven crawl up onto him. Steven gave Greg one last reassuring nod before he told Lion, “Let’s go, Lion.” 

The lion began running down through the snow before roaring, creating a pink portal in the air. Steven held onto it’s mane as they flew through the portal, before appearing on the beach. The hand ship was massive, illuminating everything in a green glow. Steven got off and saw Garnet, Amethyst, and… Morganite as the fusion drew back her javelin. She threw it at the approaching ship, and Steven had to cover his ears at the _boom_ that followed it. The ship simply ignored it, continuing its descent. 

“Lion, go back to dad. He’ll need a new son if I don’t come back.” The feline yawned at his words and ran down the beach. Steven turned back to the gems and ran towards them. They didn’t have a clue that he was there before Garnet gasped and turned to look at him. She looked horrified as he approached. 

“Steven! Get out of here!” Her yell made Amethyst and Morganite turn and see him. Amethyst looked surprised and yelled, “Why are you back?!” While Morganite wrestled with herself and fell apart. Pearl looked at him terrified as Pink shot up and screamed, “What are you doing?!” 

“It’s too late! Get ready!” Garnet barked as she turned to the ship and snarled. The others summoned their weapons as Steven ran up behind them and watched as the hand turned upside down and curled up its fingers, before slamming its fingers down onto the beach. 

Everyone stood silently as an orb rose from its palm. It floated inches from the hand as it began rolling down its index finger. It disappeared into it before coming out at the tip and landing on the beach. The top began falling down and revealed Peridot, Lapis, and a hulking brute with a black cape and a wild mane of hair. Peridot was sneering while Lapis had dark blue marks across her form. And the large behemoth was smiling maniacally at them. 

“There they are, those are the ones who keep breaki-”

“Finally… after all these years.” The brute interrupted Peridot and stepped forward, glaring right at Pink. “I didn’t think _you_ would be alive after all this time. I guess the weak do find a way to keep going in their pitiful existence. On this pitiful planet.” 

“J-Jasper.” Pearl whimpered as her grip on her spear tightened. Garnet gritted her teeth as Amethyst barked, “You gotta step off!” 

Jasper sneered at the gems, “This is all that’s left of your armies? Some defective runt, an abomination, a lost Pearl, and… a human.” She looked close in disbelief. “And not even a grown one.” 

“Don’t touch him, he’s not one of them! He’s just a huma-” 

“I’ve seen humans before. Just another useless tactic from the war,” Jasper brushed her off, making Lapis hug herself and look away. Steven grabbed down onto his gem as Pink yelled, “This planet is not controlled by Homeworld! You have no right to be here!” 

Jasper rolled her eyes and said, “And you’re the same, too. Well, it doesn’t matter.” She summoned an orange helmet shaped like a diamond on her head, which covered her eyes with a visor. She stepped forward challengingly as she raised her fists. Pink took up her sword and rested it on her shoulder as she summoned a hexagonal shield near her forearm. She stepped forward to the challenge as her eyes were shadowed by her bangs of hair. Jasper took off her cape and threw it to the side, landing discarded in the snow. 

She turned her head to Peridot, “Fire a barrage at her lackeys, but not her. This one’s personal.” Peridot nodded her head and pulled up her screen. Jasper turned back to Pink and gave a malicious smile. “Now let’s get started.” 

The two rushed forward. Pink ran ahead as Jasper spun into a fiery yellow ball. She spun in place before shooting up in the air and towards Pink. The diamond raised her shield and took the attack. Jasper launched off of the shield, sending Pink sliding back on the snow. The brute landed a few feet away, her smile replaced by a cold sneer. 

Peridot sent a bored line across her screen, causing the ship behind her to rise and light up. The tip of its index finger glowed as it began turning. Garnet ran over to Steven and picked him up, then jumped out of the way as the ship sent a beam of light across the snowy beach. It exploded right after, sending Pearl and Amethyst rolling away. Snow and sand were thrown up in the air as Steven coughed and saw Garnet hugging him. She placed him down and said, “You have to run now Steven!” 

“No! I won’t let you guys get hurt!” He argued, but it fell on deaf ears as Garnet just turned and ran to the fight. 

Jasper glowed and curled up again, melting the snow under her and blasting off towards Pink again. Pink covered herself with her shield and swung low at Jasper. The brute jumped up at the last second, using the shield to jump over Pink and hit her over the head. Pink cried out before trying to cover herself again, but gasped when she saw Jasper catch Garnet’s punch and throw her at her. She had no choice but to drop the shield, letting Garnet crash into her. She and Garnet were sent flying a few meters away, and the Afro-haired gem stood up and growled. 

“I remember you. You were one of _Rose’s_ pets during the war.” Jasper said as she placed a hand on her hip and scoffed. “Don’t intervene if you don’t think you can beat me this time.” Garnet charged with a cry, reeling her gauntlet back to attack. As she approached, Jasper took something off of her belt and stabbed Garnet in the chest. Pearl, Amethyst, Pink, and Steven watched as Garnet fell backwards with yellow lines running all around her, and poofed into a cloud, dropping two gems in the snow. Jasper bubbled the two and flicked them back, letting them float towards Peridot and Lapis. The latter looked away with horrified eyes. 

“Garnet, _NO_!” Steven screamed, but was grabbed by the collar by Pearl and thrown back towards the house. “Get out of here!” She cried before running to help. 

Pink stood up as her body began glowing, her eyes never leaving Jasper as she screamed and summoning a shield the size of herself. She threw her arms forward wildly, sending it flying at Jasper. The orange gem caught its edges with her hands, and quickly smiled as she used it to block a ball of energy from Pearl. The shield crumbled as Jasper crushed it. Amethyst’s whip curled around Jasper’s arm, but the hulking brute pulled it forward with enough strength to send Amethyst flying towards her. She kicked Amethyst straight in the face, sending the short gem flying away, spiraling in the air. 

Jasper was caught by surprise when a pink, crystalline gauntlet was sent towards her face, but dodged back and brought up her fists defensively. Pink had two gauntlets covering her hands, made of small shields pieced together. She threw another punch at Jasper, but was soon sent on the defensive as the brute overpowered her. Jasper sneered and grabbed one of Pink’s fists before pulling out her tool from earlier and jabbing Pink in the neck. The diamond screamed out in pain as yellow trails began clawing at her form. Her eyes turned straight white as she gritted her teeth, holding back from screaming. Jasper stuck it in more, but gasped when Pink lifted up her hand and crushed the tool in her hand. She headbutted Jasper, causing a crack to form down the middle of her helmet. 

A right hook to the face sent Jasper rolling on the ground, tumbling like a broken doll before she caught herself. She let out a rough chuckle and said, “You’re stronger… but all it is is a cover for the _fraud_ you are.” 

Pink snarled, “Leave… this planet.” And panted as the glow around her flickered. Jasper turned her eyes to Peridot as the green gem said, “Firing.” and drew a circle on her screen. Pink’s eyes widened as she saw the ship begin pointing at Steven, who crawled up to his feet and stepped back. 

As the glow on the ship intensified, Pink ran and summoned a shield wall ahead of herself, blocking the ship from Steven. She skidded to a stop and held her arms towards the ship. Steven yelled something behind her, but didn’t react in time when an arm wrapped around her neck and another grabbed the edges of her gem, pulling with the force of a tank. 

"Goodbye, _My Diamond._ ” She heard a whisper, before everything turned to a white void. 

Steven’s eyes widened as Pink exploded into a cloud, leaving everything silent. Only the humming of the ship and the splashes of water on the shore filled his ears. Then Jasper lifted the diamond up in her finger and laughed. Not some maniacal laugh, but a genuine one filled with _accomplishment_. She bubbled Pink’s gem and began walking towards the ship as it fell back to the beach. 

As she was walking with a smile, she heard a yell behind her, “GIVE HER BACK!” She turned her head and saw the small human from earlier glaring at her, tears running down its face. It made her lip curl up in disgust and continue walking, making Steven snarl. 

Pearl and Amethyst ran up to Steven, and began running forward before Jasper said, “Finish them off with the cannon and let's get moving.” Peridot looked like she wanted to say something, but just groaned and drew a circle on her screen again. The ship lifted up as Pearl pushed Steven back. 

“Leave! You need to run away!” She begged, but Steven just pushed past her. His eyes became wide as he screamed, “No! I won’t let you _DIE_!” The ship fired a laser directly at them, but a reverb sounded out as smoke rose into the air. 

Jasper, who was looking down at Pink’s gem, turned around and saw a huge pink round shield with a rose emblem in the middle. ‘ _Rose’s shield?_ ’ 

She walked ahead towards Steven as he nearly dropped to his knees, but kept himself on his toes. “You! You have the power of Rose Quartz.” 

“No! Wait, he’s not-”

“Shut up!” Jasper yelled at Lapis, making the blue gem stop immediately. She turned her head back to Steven, “I thought you were just a human, but… what is this, Rose? This.. pathetic form. I heard stories of Pink Diamond’s top general during the war, how she could change the tide of a battle just by her appearance... but here… I see they were _just_ stories.” She walked closer as Steven glowered. “But… I want to see just what made this fool here choose you as her second in command," She lifted up Pink’s bubble and sent it away, “Now, this’ll be easy.” 

Steven looked back at Pearl and surprised her when he grabbed her spear and stepped closer to his new opponent. Pearl and Amethyst screamed, “Steven, wait!” But they were ignored. 

His muscles burned at him. The oversized spear in his hands was making him wrestle with his arms to even hold it up. Jasper slowly approached, seemingly enjoying Steven squirm as he tried lifting the spear up. She didn’t even summon her helmet, she didn’t see him as a _threat_. 

"L-Let her go! Please!" He yelled again, but Jasper ignored it, instead just giving a smirk. 

He used all of his effort to rush forward, hoping that his weight would push the spear for him. His arms were giving away when Jasper simply grabbed the spear’s blade. She held on as Steven tried taking it back. His eyes were burning with hatred and tears before he was kicked in the stomach, making him fly back. He was caught by the side, and he saw Amethyst rush forwards towards Jasper with two whips as the edge of his vision turned black. 

She was cracking her knuckles with a sneer as his consciousness faded away. He felt something drip from his mouth as the world faded into a black nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And everything starts going downhill for now on, lol. Just kidding, but we are at the season 1 finale. I've been waiting so long to get here, so tell me how part 1 was! 
> 
> Anyway, until part 2!


	20. Jailbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven wakes up on a gem ship and goes on a mission to get his family back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new years everyone! Jeesh, sorry I took a year to make a new chapter... eh! eh?! Get it cause...  
> Anyway, after this I'm probably gonna go back and rewrite some of the older chapters. I'm gonna start off with Together Breakfast, then Mirror Gem, then some of the others. So look out for that, but I could just begin writing the next chapter, who knows?
> 
> edit 2: Steven's Lion is rewritten(if you're an old reader that is)! I've rethought about it and I've decided not to work on rewrites(They take up time for the story ahead) So every so often, if I just published a chapter or something, is when I might work on one for an old chapter. Not all old chapters will get rewrites, only ones that are pretty much canon with Pink just standing there lol. I want to focus ahead, not looking back. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

# Jailbreak

_Steven...._

_You need to wake up, Steven…_

_Free us… please._

  
  


He gasped as his eyes flew open in a flash. Dark green filled his vision as he groaned. Painful shocks ran through his stomach when he tried to sit himself up. He ended up turning to the side and pushed up to get on his feet. 

The wall in front of him was completely yellow, and let him see through to the other side. The other three walls were green, exactly the same as the roof. His head pounded as he suddenly saw visions of Garnet being poofed and Jasper _ripping_ Pink’s gem out. He let out a startled gasp and whispered, “Garnet… Pink.” Before quickly running over to the yellow wall and looking outside. A cell identical to his sat parallel to him, except the gate or whatever it was wasn’t activated. He was able to look a small amount to the sides and see the same thing, completely identical cells running in both directions. Small little pipes ran down into a little hole next to the cells, which had little sparks running from it. 

His examination was interrupted when he heard sniffling and a short sob come from the left. He stepped up to the side of the wall and asked, “Hello? Is someone there?” 

“Steven!? Are you okay? Where are you?!” The person who replied was Pearl, who sounded about as worried and scared as he’d expect after the beach. 

“Yeah! I’m… fine.” He felt a warm sensation on his chin. His finger scraped against it and he brought it up to his eyes. It was painted crimson red, and he felt a cold chill run up his spine as he felt his chin up again. He pulled it back, it was still there. The sensation was more running down the side of his mouth, and he felt light headed at the realization that it was _blood_. 

“Now Steven, don’t touch the gate. It’s electrified. We need a way to get out.” Pearl muttered as Steven reached toward the electric gate. Yes, he heard the gem next to him, but it was his only way out. 

His fingers made contact and he felt a shock run up his hand. It didn’t exactly hurt, but it wasn’t pleasant in the slightest. He shook his hand and tried again, this time pushing further through the gate. It buzzed up his arm before he quickly breathed in and walked forward. This time it _did_ hurt as he fell through, landing face first on the ground. He groaned and pushed himself up, shivering as a tingling in his body disappeared. But getting up on his feet, he grinned when he saw that he was outside the cell. ' _I’m out! Just gotta…_ ’ He turned to his left and saw Pearl. She looked at him and gasped, “You’re out! How?!” 

He walked up to her cell and grinned, “I just went through! It felt all weird, though.” Pearl looked at him head to toe, eyeing his now frizzy afro standing straight up. Her eyes wandered down and she gasped in horror when she saw blood trickling down the side of his mouth, and carpeting his chin slightly. 

“Steven! You’re BLEEDING!” She screamed, her hands moving back and forth, struggling to want to hold him and stay away from the gate in front of her. 

“It’s fine, I can’t even feel it.” Steven waved his arms, knowing that she would never know of the stabbing in his ribs. “Now let me see if I can-” He put his arms forward and touched the field. His hands and arms created openings underneath, and he made a hole for Pearl to crawl out from. She got on her hands and knees, crawling out quickly. Once she was out, Steven pulled away and shook off the electric buzzing. 

His shoulders were suddenly yanked and turned towards Pearl, who took a small white rag from her gem and wiped away the blood. She then put it in her gem and took out a roll of bandages and a Dressing. “Alright, sit still! I’m gonna apply this, so I need you to show me-”

“Pearl! Hold on, we gotta find the others first!" Steven stopped her by throwing his hands out and backing away. 

“But you’re hurt! I will not let you continue until your wounds are properly tended to!” She said, angrily frowning at him. Steven huffed and looked down the halls, before giving up and holding his arms out. Pearl was quick in applying the Dressing to a large bruise on his neck and a circular but wide bruise on his stomach. Afterwards, she wrapped the bandages on to hold the Dressing in place. 

“There, now you need to let it sit for a minute-”

“Pearl, we don’t have the time! We gotta hurry and find the others!” Steven tried running to the right, but his hand was caught by Pearl. 

“Wait! Steven, you need to rest. I’ll find them, you just… sit here.” She pushed him back into an empty cell, but he pushed her hands away. “No! I need to help! Everyone’s in danger! These electro-field things don’t affect me, so I can let us escape!” Pearl opened her mouth to argue back, but the look on Steven’s face made her falter and sigh. She held a hand close to her mouth and squeezed it into a fist. “I know you won’t listen to me now. Just… stay safe and be careful. We’re in a very deadly situation, so just… follow me, okay?” 

Steven nodded and smiled, “Alright, I’ll try.” 

“Good, now stay on the lookout. Jasper and Peridot could be anywhere.” Pearl turned and checked the hall. She stepped out and snuck down the hallway, before finding a door and going through it, leading to a similar hallway. As the two snuck around, they saw an activated cell, then heard a loud _bang_. Making their way to it, Steven was surprised when inside the cell was a short red gem. She was about the same height as he was, and had a dark red headband wrapped around her hair. 

The red gem paced for a second before stopping and turned her head to them. Suddenly she shouted, “Pearl! Stev-” Then she stopped at the sight of the confused boy. Her head furrowed and she grabbed her head angrily. “Great! This is just perfect!” She groaned before doing a double take and realizing something she should’ve the first time. “Wait, you two are out? How did you do that?”

“Steven isn’t affected by the fields.” Pearl explained, before a hand waved at her from below. 

“Pearl, who is she? Do you know her?” He whispered, trying to hide his words from the stranger in front of them. 

“Oh, right… you don’t know about, hmm. This here is an ally of ours, Ruby.” Pearl said, while Ruby just nodded her head. 

“Yes, I am ally!” She smiled widely while putting her arms out from her sides, completely ignoring the fact she skipped a word. She winked, which seemed enough for Steven to hum and step up. He created a hole for her to get through, and she wasted no time rolling out and looking around. 

“We need to find Sapphire! Oh, she’s all alone! Aurgh!” Ruby growled and began pacing, holding her leg. Pearl looked down at the red gem, “No worries, we’ll find her. Then we can get off this blasted ship.” 

They all stood still when a voice began singing, which stopped right after a few seconds. Ruby’s eyes widened as she nearly jumped out of her form. “That’s her! Please, we need to find her!” She gave a begging look to Pearl, who nodded and hummed. 

“I think the singing came from that way, we need-”

“Then let’s go!” Ruby said curtly as she began running, making Pearl jump and chase after her. “Wait, we need to be _stealthy_!”

Steven ran after them while lost in thought. ‘ _Who’s Sapphire? And this new gem? Pearl seems to trust them, but I’ve never seen them before._ ’ Another activated cell was coming up, and he saw Pearl and Ruby stop before continuing on. He raised an eyebrow and looked at who it was. He looked surprised when he saw Lapis sitting in the cell, curled in on herself. 

“L-Lapis?” He said while getting closer, putting a hand out to her. She lifted her head and saw him reaching over. 

“No! Get back!” She screamed at him, making him step backwards confused. Her eyes set into a glare as she sat up and faced Steven. 

“W-What? Bu-” His eyes danced between all of the deep and white marks on her body. They were few and far between, but their size made him worried. “What… happened? Lapis, what did-”

“Go! Please… I can’t stand to look at you.” She turned and faced her back to him, then drew up her knees to her chest and hugged them. Steven’s head tried processing the last twenty seconds as he stood frozen. “Lapis… I’ll come back for you.” He left her with that and ran down the hall. Lapis looked back and held a sob at bay.

Pearl and Ruby soon came into his field of vision, leaning against a wall. The red gem seemed _furious_ now, but also distressed. As he approached, Pearl and Ruby both put a finger on their lips and shook their heads. He began tiptoeing over and looked past the wall. 

“Alright, we’re going to try this one more time… and you are going to give me a straight answer!” Steven’s eyes widened. Peridot, in the… flesh(manifestation of light?) standing in front of a cell, glaring down at a short blue gem with a long dress and hair covering her eyes. The green gem in front of her was frothing at the mouth, holding her floating screen next to her while her strange fingers hovered around it. 

“I understand.” The blue gem, Sapphire Steven deduced, answered simply, holding her hands together in front of herself. 

“Okay then… let's try _one more time_. First, what is the intent of your rebel allies?” Peridot asked as her screen changed to one with a huge list of symbols on it. Sapphire hummed before answering. 

“What is your reasoning behind your questioning?”

“AUGGH! That does it!” Peridot stomped away, nearly running as her fingers tried following her. She passed through a door that automatically closed behind her. As soon as she was gone, Sapphire looked over towards them and gave a small nod. 

“Sapphire!” Ruby cried as she ran from behind cover, followed by Steven and Pearl. 

“Ruby!” Sapphire’s demeanor changed completely as she looked at the red gem. Ruby turned to Steven and anxiously yelled, “Steven! Get her out, please!” Steven quickly made a hole in the field, large enough for her to walk out. He didn’t expect her to fly past with the speed of a jet and hug Ruby. After tumbling back, he shivered and watched the two gems. 

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?!” Ruby asked, placing a hand on the side of Sapphire’s face. 

“No, no, I’m okay. Did they hurt you?” Sapphire asked as she put her hand over Ruby’s. 

“Who cares?!” Ruby said while tearing up, and Sapphire quickly answered. “I do!”

Steven’s eyes widened when Sapphire leaned in and kissed Ruby, making the red gem laugh and pick her up. The two spun around, laughing cheerfully before both began turning into nothing but light and fusing together. And laughing gleefully and landing in front of him was…

“ _Garnet_!?” He cried, his hands grabbing the sides of his head. 

“Steven! Thank you!” She said while smiling widely. Her form looked more brighter than the red and black look she had. It was much more vibrant, and had stripes running up her shoulder pads and leggings. It all went up to her neck, and Steven noticed that all together it made one huge star across her form. 

“You’re a fusion?! How!? Oh my gosh!” Steven hugged her as she stroked his hair and chuckled. 

“We were waiting to tell you on your birthday, but I guess now was the time.” Pearl chimed up after watching the two with a smile. 

“Wait, I can just pretend I didn’t see this! We can still do it on my birthday!” 

Then all three stopped and turned their heads when they heard a door on their right open. Peridot was staring at them wide-eyed, her body completely still. Then everything clicked and she screamed, “How did you get out?!” Before turning and running away. Pearl growled and summoned her spear, “I’m going after her!”

Garnet and Steven stayed behind as the white gem ran after Peridot, and Garnet placed her hands on Steven’s shoulders. “Steven, I need you to find Amethyst and Pink.” 

“But, I don’t know where they are.” Steven shook his head, but Garnet kissed him on top of his forehead. Visions of him running and finding Amethyst played out, all going to the same place. Then it flashed with him running to Pink’s gem, which was in a long room. It disappeared as he whispered with awe, “Future vision.” 

The two were interrupted when the lights in the ship turned to orange, and a disembodied voice said, “ _Intruders detected in Sector 3, illuminating all possible defense points and evacuation routes._ ” 

“Go find them, Steven. Be careful.” Garnet said before running off, making Steven nod his head and go down the path he saw with his future vision. The orange tint on everything now made it disorienting to even run, especially when he looked up at the roof and walls. So he tried his best to keep his eyes focused on the floor and a small area in front of him. 

Going through a door and down a hallway led him to Amethyst’s cell. She was lying against the wall before seeing Steven and jumping up. “Steven! You’re out!” 

“Yeah! Here, let me get you!” Steven walked up to the field, but Amethyst tried stopping him. “Wait!” She put her hands up, but looked surprised when Steven was unaffected. 

“C’mon! I-I-I-It’s f-f-fine.” He stuttered from the electricity, and Amethyst crawled under quickly. She looked around while summoning her whip, “Alright, let’s go find the others!”

“I already found Pearl and Garnet, we just have to find Pink.” Steven explained as Amethyst looked over at him curiously. “Oh, so… do you know about Garnet now?” 

“I had no idea! How did I not see!?” Steven said as he put his hands on his head with a smile. Amethyst chuckled a little before a loud bang made both perk up. “Woah! That’s gotta be them!” The purple gem tried running off to the source, but Steven quickly stopped her. “Wait! I still need to find Pink! I know where her gem is!”

“Then go get it dude! I gotta help the others!” She escaped his hand and ran down the hall, slowly leaving Steven’s sight. Steven looked off put by her decision, but soon shook his head and ran. The halls were beginning to lose cells, eventually turning into small corridors. The yellow-ish pipes that ran throughout were abundant now, taking up most of the ceiling. He noted later on that all of them ran down a set of stairs he passed. 

Eventually he made it to where Pink’s gem was held; a long room with small cells lined up in the walls, too small for any gem or person, but a big enough size to hold bubbles and gemstones. Only one was on, and he looked inside it to see Pink’s gemstone floating in an orange bubble. It blended in with the orange lighting all around him. His arms reached in and took hold of the bubble, and he was careful to not pop it. 

Backing up slowly, he tried pulling the bubble out, but the field covering the cell popped it as soon as it came into contact. Luckily, it didn’t make a difference as Steven pulled out the pink diamond and watched as it almost instantly floated up. He stepped back as he watched it glow, his eyes widening in awe. 

First, it formed as a larger form of her, which made him raise an eyebrow, before it changed into her typical size. Then, in a bright flash, Pink Diamond appeared in her new form, floating in the air with her arms out to the sides. 

Her afro was more leaned forward and slimmer, and had more spikes of hair coming out from her wild mane. Two small black diamonds were painted on her cheeks, sitting just a bit under her eyes. And her neck was covered up by a bright pink collar, with a little ruffle coming out at the top. Her shoulder, the one he _could_ see, was poofier and had a ruffle as well, covering a bit of the top of her arms. Besides skinnier shorts, longer shoes, and little puffy stars floating above her feet, she had a long and thin light pink, lighter than anything on her form, cloak wrapped around her neck, covering her right shoulder and parts of her leg. It fell over her shoulder to the back of her feet and rose up to her neck from behind, all connected by a white and pink star. 

Pink floated down and let out a sigh, before her eyes flew straight open and she looked around in confusion. Steven gasped and ran up to her with a hug. “Pink! You’re back!” He caught the pink gem by surprise, who yelped before noticing him and smiling. 

“Steven!” She picked him up and hugged him, “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?!” 

“Only a little bit, but it’s alright! I’m fine!” He laughed while hugging her around the neck. Pink looked around and glowered down the hall. “We need to get off this ship and stop Jasper. Have you found Pearl and the others?” 

“Yeah, they should be somewhere around here. I think they’re fighting thou-”

“Then we need to hurry!” She held him closer before sprinting off. Steven grabbed onto her as his grip loosened. Then he saw the stairs again and patted her, “Wait!” She stopped in an instant, making him wobble his head from the force. Shaking his head, he pointed up at all of the pipes, “All of these things run down there. They power the cells, I think.” 

Pink examined them before looking down at the stairs. “If they power them… then the core for the ship must be down there.” 

“The core? Then that means we can-” “Cut off the ship!” Both of them said at the same time, making Steven smile and point down the set of stairs. “Then let’s get to business!” 

Pink was quick in jumping down, which Steven thought was very risky. Though the Gems weren’t prone to breaking an arm down the stairs. The stairs turned out to go deeper than Steven expected, but they eventually ended and led to a large open room with pipes running all around. Some came in from the roof, most from the stairs, but some came from the floor. But all of them led to a huge golden orb sitting against the wall with a few spectral screens in front of it. All of the pipes running up reminded him of the red ones in the temple.

“Woah, that thing’s powering all of this place?” Steven asked as Pink set him down and began walking over to the orb. “Yes, but it looks different from the ones during the war. We need to shut it off, but… these cores can be very dangerous.” 

“Then we need to find the off switch. It has to have one, right?” He said it jokingly, but Pink just gave him a slight disappointed look. 

“If it did, then we would have a much easier time. But these cores act as engines for ships and buildings. If handled improperly, then it could very well explode.” 

“Oh… then what do we do?” Steven asked as they stopped in front of it. Pink bent over and tapped one of the screens, making it fold out like paper. She looked nervous and finally glanced at him with a confused frown, “I have _no_ idea. But I’ll think of something, don’t worry.” 

The ceiling behind them exploded, making the two freeze before turning around. Rocks and rubble were sitting all around as Garnet and Jasper were facing each other. Garnet had her back to them, but Jasper noticed the two and snarled, “Oh great, _you’re out_ too _._ ” 

Garnet glanced back and began backing up, while Pink stepped up and stopped by Garnet’s side. Steven hung back as he glared at the orange gem. Really, she was dark orange with the lighting, but it was ferocious when mixed with the red and brown uniform she had on. Jasper looked between the two and sneered, “Are you sure you want to fight against me again? Did you already forget what happened last time?” She puffed out her chest as Pink summoned her sword and pointed it downward with two hands.

“I’m certain that _won’t_ happen again. Just give up, Jasper. We have you outnumbered, and out matched.” 

Jasper’s eyes flicked to the core behind them, then to _Rose._ A devious smile spread across her lips as she summoned her helmet and punched her fists together, causing dust and small rocks to blow away from her. “Fine, then. I’ll surrender… when I shatter!” 

She rolled up and flew to the side, making Pink and Garnet jump into action. Pink was summoning two shields by the time Jasper came right at them. Garnet raised her fists and aimed them towards Jasper, before they shot off into rockets. Jasper dodged left and right before hitting a shield and jumping off of it. In the air, she spun back into her Spin Dash and slammed into Garnet, making the fusion have to grab her helmet to not get run down. Garnet stopped Jasper’s momentum while cracking the floor under her, but Jasper quickly began punching at her rapidly, a yellow fiery aura burning around her arms. Pink moved in and Jasper was caught by surprise when a light pink cloak wrapped around her arm and almost sent her to the ground. She met eyes with Pink, who had a small surprised smile on her face. It disappeared as soon as Jasper shot off again with enough force to make Garnet stumble back. Pink’s eyes widened as she was sent forward and had a fist crashing against her cheek. Another slammed against her chest before she brought up a small shield and deflected the next hit. She was sent sliding on the floor a few feet ahead of Jasper.

Jasper's eyes were strained horribly, focusing on every move that her enemies would make. Soon, Garnet and Pink had surrounded her front and back. And her target was still just a few feet away, toying with the core. She had to deal with this fast. Her mission was nearly compromised, she couldn’t let them escape before getting to Homeworld. 

Spinning up, she dashed at Pink, who was holding her sword ready to attack. Jasper changed her direction to the side, holding onto hope the diamond wouldn’t put up a shield. She didn’t, and Jasper flew around towards _Rose._ The fusion was standing nearby her, so Jasper tried gaining more momentum before sending a powerful punch the fusion’s way. Garnet met her fist, causing a blast of wind to curl out from them. Steven slid on his shoes and nearly lost his balance. 

His body wasn’t ready for what happened next. 

A large hand grabbed the front of his jacket and lifted him up. He didn’t even realize it until he was facing Jasper while hanging in the air. She was smiling maliciously as she said, “Now… you should rethink your decisions before anyone gets _shattered._ ” 

Pink’s glare on her turned into one of sheer terror. Her hands began shaking as she shouted, “Let him go!” 

“Why would I do that? Rose here’s your best general. The worst by Homeworld standards. Now, I’m gonna give you _one_ chance to back down before this worthless gem goes to Homeworld in pieces.” Jasper waved her hand side to side as Steven struggled in her grip. She was holding on so tight, it was hard for him to breath. It was starting to irritate the bandages underneath as well. 

“Y-You...” Pink began stuttering as Garnet’s form shook, the stress almost too much to bear. Garnet’s gauntlets soon disappeared as Pink whipped her head to her. “Wha-”

“ _Do it._ ” Garnet whispered, her cracked visor flashing as her hands curled into fists. Pink glared back at Jasper and let her sword fall from her hands, letting it _clink_ onto the ground before disappearing. The orange brute frowned as she stepped forward, continuing to hold Steven out as a reminder of what would happen if they try to fight.

“Now… go back to your cells, cooperate with orders, and allow yourselves to be taken into custody of Homeworld.” Jasper listed off each time she took a step. The two gems looked desperate at this point, their situation growing worse and worse by the second. Pink glanced at Garnet, but the fusion was frozen in place. 

“We-” She turned her head and saw Steven staring at her with pleading eyes. “We... “

_"Please... promise me you'll protect him from harm."_

“We’ll do it.” Pink’s eyes were frozen in place in their horrified state as Jasper smiled. 

“Good, about time yo-”

“ ** _NO!”_ ** Steven shouted angrily, catching all of them by surprise as he lifted his leg and kicked Jasper in the face. Her visor protected her eyes, but it didn’t stop the small amount of _force_ behind it from staggering her. Jasper, in her startled state, accidentally let the boy drop to the floor. She quickly caught herself and reeled her helmet back, ready to smash him into a human smear on the floor. She would’ve, it was her only play in such an unexpected turn, but a pink shield was sending her skidding across the floor and into a shocking pain that exploded across her form.

She screamed before an explosion sent all of them moving back. Steven could barely tell what was going on from the flash. A soft fabric wrapped around his arm and pulled him up into the air. He was in Pink’s arms as the voice from earlier said, “ _Ship integrity damaged, please evacuate vessel immediately._ ” 

“We need to get out of here!” Garnet yelled as they ran from the room and rushed up the stairs. The halls were cracking as the pipes running above cracked and spat electricity wildly. They eventually reached a set of double doors which led into a large control room. Pearl and Amethyst were at the controls, fracking out before noticing them.

“We need to leave!” Pink yelled as the electricity began leaking into the room, followed by green sparks. 

“The ship won’t allow control! It’s crashing!” Pearl screamed as she stared out the large window in front of her, watching Earth grow and speed ahead. With them growing closer to Earth’s surface and the electricity coming near, Pink summoned a bubble all around them. 

* * *

Beach City sat abandoned after all the citizens left in a hurry. Some places and establishments were left dark and alone, while some still gave off light on the snow below. Then a loud crashing noise and a sonic boom shattered all of the windows in town. The grey clouds above split open as a giant smoking green hand flew over, dropping chunks of green rock and debris onto the small city. 

The crashing ship could be seen for miles, and even heard for hundreds more, as it crashed down into the green fields near Beach City. It destroyed trees and crushed acres as it slowed to a stop in the dark brown dirt underneath. Then it exploded in a huge dark green blast that sent out arcs of yellow lightning in the sky. 

Nearby on the highway at a motel, a man whose son was probably on that very ship, cried out as he held his head. Near him, a pink lion roared before creating a portal, jumping through in a heartbeat. Lion traveled through before appearing in the middle of the wreckage. He jumped around on rocks and dirt before finding an opening with pink spots underneath. Lion roared and flung off the rocks from a big pink bubble underneath. It slowly fell as the gems looked around at the flames and destruction around them. Steven coughed from the smoke in the air before Lion nudged himself against the boy. 

“Lion!” Steven said with a smile as he petted the feline back. As they stood, Pearl rubbed the back of her neck and said, “That… could’ve gone a lot worse.”

“It could’ve gone better too.” Garnet replied as she made a point in looking at the fires nearby. 

“Wait! Garnet! How are you a fusion all the time?! That’s awesome! Is it like sharin-”

“ ** _You._** ” Everyone froze as a figure walked in front of them, coming out from the fire. The figure grew from a shadow into Jasper as she limped towards them, a strange device in her hand. “You… think you’ve beaten me? This… ugh... this is just… the beginning.” She raised it at them before straightening herself as much as she could. “Your days are _numbered._ ”

She fired the weapon as a shield came up and protected them. A small canister popped against it before a blinding light exploded out, blinding all of them. Jasper snarled and backed away, slowly disappearing back into the flames. 

Across the wreckage, a green gem crawled out from under a boulder and coughed. “What… hap-” She looked around and her eyes widened in horror. They glanced from side to side before she muttered, “My… ship.”

She heard a yelp and turned to see Lapis lifting a pipe off herself. The blue gem saw her and turned to fly, but a green laser surrounded her and pulled her back. “You! What happened to my _ship_?!” 

“I… I don’t know! It was those Crystal Gems! Please, I didn’t do anything!” Lapis pleaded before a bright light flashed in the air nearby. Peridot glowered and said, “We have to get out of here and contact help.” 

Lapis stared at the wreck in dismay as her freedom was snatched away yet again. 

  
  


The gems slowly came back to life as the light disappeared, and Steven looked for Jasper ahead, just to see nothing but green flames. They sat in silence, letting the fire burn on until Garnet fixed her broken visor and said, “That gem is gonna be a lot of trouble.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of Season 1
> 
> Pink Diamond and Garnet got new forms, Steven walks away with new trauma, and Lapis and Peridot are going on a two gem mission to get off of Earth. Lapis is totally not a prisoner again!
> 
> For real, thank you everyone for leaving some of the kindest comments man, it means a lot. I still remember being so nervous to post this fic, and now here we are with over 3000 hits, and obviously the kudos could be higher but those don't matter to me. You guys matter to me, to know that there is people out there that come and read this, wait for every update, it just... it means more than you would think. Even people who hate this fic! Even getting on someones nerves means I'm making some kind of impact! 
> 
> Thank you, and until next time.


	21. Early Morning for Beach City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven tries to tell Connie about what happened on the ship, but doesn't know if he should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, back with another chapter. It's probably the shortest one but it doesn't need to be that long. If any of you remember, I put in the notes about doing another fic where it's little tales and things that happen in the AU that isn't shown in the fic itself. I've been considering it again, and I have some ideas for it. Of course, the chapters wouldn't be long so I could work more on the actual fic, but the thought has been sitting in my head. Tell me what you think.
> 
> Enjoy!

# Early Morning for Beach City

  
  


After the disastrous incident of yesterday, the citizens of Beach City finally began flooding back in. Families came home to destroyed windows, and some had to deal with their house damaged by large chunks of the otherworldly ship that crashed right outside their town. 

And all of it was in Steven’s eyes as he stood close to where the old lighthouse used to be, now just a dirt patch where the ground was filled in. His phone sat in one hand, and a list of call notifications sat at the top of it. He brought the phone up with two hands and his legs moved on their own. “Alright… maybe if I tell her that the ship accidentally crashed outside town. Sorry Connie, I lost internet connection and didn’t see your… twenty one calls.” He deadpanned at the sight of all of the notifications, and his throat held back from gulping as he tugged at the edge of his blue hoodie. His eyes glanced up at the giant finger resting on a hill in the distance, smoke rising from its walls. 

Steven stopped and stared at the sky before blurting, “It was all a dream, Connie!” Then his eyes fell and he face palmed with an annoyed look. “Ahh! She’s too smart for that!” Walking down the hill, he found himself heading towards the Big Donut. He stared down at his phone as he rounded the side of the building. 

“It’s okay, Connie… I’m feeling better and everything’s,” He stuck his hand to open the door, just to feel nothing, “Fine.” 

Looking up, he saw that all of the windows on the Big Donut had disappeared, instead just large shards of glass on the ground, halfway in the melting snow. Inside, Sadie was using a broom to sweep up glass when she noticed Steven. 

“Woah! Be careful Steven, there’s glass _everywhere._ ” She warned, and Steven looked down to see he was standing directly on some. He quickly backed away until he was out of it. “Ha, sorry Sadie. What happened to all of the windows? Seems like nobody has them anymore.”

“I think it's because of that hand ship that appeared. That thing has made my mom go nuts, she won’t stop talking about her crazy theories about aliens. Guess they were right.” Sadie rolled her eyes at the last part while Steven slowly nodded his head. ‘ _Aliens… yep._ ’ 

“Anyways, did you see that thing crash? I can’t tell if it was scary or awesome, but now I kinda wanna see it again.” 

“Oh… y-yeah… I saw it crash. It was bananas.” Steven muttered as he awkwardly nodded along. “Anyways, I’m gonna go. But do you know when you’re gonna reopen again?”

“Probably not for a while. I’m gonna have to wait for management to replace all the windows. So sorry Steven, no donuts for a while.” 

“Oh… it’s alright. I’ll see ya’ later, Sadie!” He waved goodbye while walking down the beach to his house. Sadie waved back until she was out of sight, then Steven instantly sagged and frowned worriedly, his hands sticking themselves into his pockets. 

_“Steven! You’re okay!”_

_“Dad!”_

His eyes hardened on the snow-sand mixture in front of him. He sighed, “Gosh… how am I gonna do this. Think Steven, what would the gems do?” He looked up in thought. 

_“Amethyst! I need to tell Connie what happened but I don’t want her to worry! What if she gets hurt being near me?”_

_“Don’t worry bro, just go eat something and like, don’t feel bad about it?”_

_“Pearl, what would you do?”_

_“Well, I would personally not involve Connie, she’s only human and fragile. In fact, I would stop going anywhere near humans.”_

_“Garnet?”_

_“...”_

_“Pink, what would you do about this?”_

_“Tell her that everything is fine so she won’t have to worry about the harmful truth she won’t be able to take.”_

Steven groaned, “Okay… I don’t think most of that was helpful.” His back pocket began vibrating and ringing, scaring him. He took out his phone and stared at the icon of Connie calling. Sighing longingly, he stopped at the edge of the beach and put the phone in his front pocket. His hands found his pockets before he looked across the ocean.

_“Everybody told me gem stuff’s dangerous~_

_I guess I didn’t believe it until now~_

_Dad always seemed apprehensive~_

_And now he's really freaking out~_

_What do I do?~_

_I don’t want that for you~”_

His phone began ringing in his pocket, his ringtone flowing with his song. He pulled it out and sighed at the screen. 

_“Everybody tells me life is precious~_

_On the planet Earth, and that means you~_

_And I have to protect you~_

_What if somehow you get hurt~_

_What do I do?~_

_I don't want that for you~_

_Woooh~_

_Woooh~_

_Woooh~_

_Wooh…_

_What am I going to tell you?~_

_You're better off not knowing the trouble I'm in~_

_I don't want you to worry about what I've just seen~_

_About where I've just been~_

_You don't have to be a part of this~_

_I don't think I want you to be~_

_You don't need this~_

_You don't need me~_

_Woooh~_

_Woooh~_

_Woooh~_

_Woooh~_

_Woooh~_

_Woooh~_

_Woooh~_

_Wooh~”_

He swiped the call, declined it and made Connie disappear. A sad frown stretched his lips, but he replaced it with a scowl directed at no one, before turning to his house and sighing.

* * *

Steven was still scowling down at his phone as the gems held a discussion in the kitchen. “What are we going to do with all of the debris, though?” Pearl asked as she paced between the kitchen and living room. Amethyst was sitting on the couch in front of the window with Garnet next to her. Pink was leaning against the kitchen table, her arms crossed together as she stared at the ground with her head low. 

“Whatever we do, we must move it before humans become curious about it.” She said while putting a hand out near the side. Amethyst stood up before suggesting, “I’m telling y’all, I’ll be a crane and we can dump all the trash in the ocean or something.”

“Amethyst, dumping it in the water will disrupt the local ecosystem. Humans are already damaging the Earth as is.” Pearl said as she gave the purple gem a glower. Amethyst rolled her eyes and looked away, “Well, do you have a better idea?”

As the two began their regular argument for the day, Pink looked over at Steven and frowned, before she walked over and sat down near him. “Steven, I can tell something’s bothering you. Do you mind telling me?”

The boy glanced up at her with a contemplative look before mumbling, “I don’t know how to _talktoconnie_.” He practically whispered the last part, making Pink raise an eyebrow that wasn’t there before. “I… don’t know how to tell Connie about what happened. I don’t want her to freak out.”

“Oh… Steven, you’re amazing at so many things. I’m sure you’ll find a way, Connie’s your best friend.” Pink placed a hand on his back while giving him a reassuring smile. He looked up at her with doubt in his eyes, but it got replaced with a grin. 

“Uhh… well, he might have to hurry considering Connie's walking up the stairs right now.” Amethyst commented while looking through the window, her hands leaned against it. Steven instantly stood up and yelled, “WHAT!?” Before quickly saying, “Tell her I’m not here!” 

He ran upstairs as Connie knocked on the screen door, and Pearl soon opened it and greeted her, “Oh, hello… Connie. What are you doing here?”

“Do you guys know where Steven is? He isn’t answering my calls and I’m worried about him!” Connie said as she looked up to the slender gem, who nervously moved her hands nervously. 

“Um… I… uh, don’t know. Your human relationships can be so confusing. So… uh… bye!” Pearl closed the door and waved. Connie looked confused, seeing as it was completely see-through and she could just talk through it. She was about to, before a thump caught her attention. Turning her head, she saw a glimpse of Steven peeking around the corner. The boy yelped and ran down the stairs, making Connie call after him. 

“Steven! Wait!” He ignored her and ran down the hill, soon meeting sand and huffing in exhaustion. Connie was on his tail, wearing much better shoes for running compared to his. It was also unfair to him wearing a really hot hoodie… or the bruises that hurt on his skin. As soon as he made it to the Big Donut, he turned the corner quickly and hid behind the dumpster on a whim. Connie ran past and stopped, looking around before continuing. After thinking he was safe, he sneaked over to the side of the building and collapsed against the wall. Catching his breath, he quickly made his way down the beach before stopping next to a large rock and panting.

“That… was close.”

“Steven!” Connie suddenly jumped in front of him from the side, making him scream in surprise. She was right in front of him now, blocking his way of escape. His back was against the rock, pressing down on it painfully. “Why do you keep running?!” 

“Leave me alone!” He yelled desperately as he leaned over himself and held his head, trying to ignore his best friend in front of him. 

“W-What?! Steven, what’s going on? First, you text me about some gem ship coming to Beach City, and you might not come back! And now you’re telling me to leave you alone… I don’t understand!?” 

“You need to go home! I… I never want to talk to you _again_ !” He yelled while standing up and holding his hands to his sides, which were uncontrollably shaking. Connie stepped back as her face contorted to a stunned stare. Steven’s hands curled into fists as his hair hung over his face, hiding it in a shadow as he stepped forward. “ _I never want to talk to you again._ ”

“YOU WERE MY BEST FRIEND!” Connie shouted as she teared up, holding a glare on him that was filled with a depth of sadness. Steven felt a hot wave of regret flood his body, threatening to burn his throat. “If you want to stop being friends, then fine! But I won’t believe it until you say it to my face!” 

Steven’s head slowly lifted up, and Connie waited for him to say it, trying to hold her teary glare. He stopped for a second before his head flung up and revealed the tears and snot running down his face. “I still wanna be friends!” He sobbed. 

Connie’s glare turned into a confused stare as he blubbered, “I didn’ want you to worry! I’m sorry!” He hugged his stomach as he looked away ashamed. Connie frowned and slowly put her hands on Steven’s shoulders. She sat him down on the beach and carefully sat next to him. “Steven, you need to tell me what’s going on.”

“I… a lotta bad stuff happened and I… didn’t want you freaking out, like my dad.” Steven said through sniffs, wiping away his snot on his sleeve. For emphasis, he pulled down the neck of his hoodie slightly and showed her a purple healing bruise. Connie’s eyes widened before she asked, “What… did that?”

“These alien gems… they showed up on that ship and tried to take me and the gems. One of them I tried to fight like an idiot and she… she kil-”

“Steven, you need to calm down. Take deep breaths!” Connie instructed next to him after she realized he was practically having a panic attack. Steven didn’t follow until he curled up and began taking slow and deep breaths, which came in shaky and fractured. After a few minutes, Steven was back to normal, but still had tears down his cheeks. 

“Steven… you need to tell me these things. I need to know when you’re hurt like this.”

“But I don’t want _you_ to get hurt! You need to stay away… it’s too dangerous. I don’t even know why you hang out with me. I’m weird and nobody likes me.” He hung his head and sniffled while Connie said, “Why _wouldn’t_ I? Steven, you’re so awesome! You can summon a shield, and have cool magical moms. Plus… technically, I’m weird… so we match pretty well.” She placed a hand on his arm as he looked up at her in surprise. 

A tight lipped smile slowly reached his face as he said, “I’m sorry, Connie. You’re… my best friend and I almost drove you away.” 

“It’s okay, Steven. You didn’t mean it, right? So it doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah… thank you.” He sat up and breathed in air he didn’t know he needed so badly. “I’m an idiot… and now we’re sitting in the snow.”

“Yeah, but we’re both idiots. And I can’t really feel the snow right now.” She paused when she saw Steven shivering with a smile. “Oh, we better go somewhere. I don’t think jeans really help.”

“Y-Yeah… wanna go t-to my house?” 

“Sure! You have to tell me about that ship, though. Why did those gems come?” She and Steven both stood up as Steven rubbed his shoulder. 

“I think one of them had a grudge against us. Well, specifically Pink, but I think she hated all of us equally.”

“Oh wow, so you guys are like… celebrities then?”

“No… I think we’re criminals.” Steven shrugged as he met eyes with Connie, smiling awkwardly. Connie raised an eyebrow before something hit her. “Wait…” She moved her hands and stuck it to her head, before comparing it to his and saying, “Steven… did you grow taller?”

The boy's eyes widened as he also began realizing it. Him and Connie were almost on the same height, with Steven sitting just a little bit lower. “I… I did? I did! Awesome!” He threw his fists up in the air and whooped, making Connie laugh and do the same. 

Steven gasped, “Oh my gosh… does this mean I’m taller than Amethyst? Then I could finally win that bet she made me!”

“Bet?” Connie asked through giggles. Steven nodded, “Me and her made a bet that if I was shorter than her before I turned fourteen, then I would have to give her my t.v., but now I don’t have to!” 

Connie laughed before Steven suddenly ran while kicking up snow at her, “Race ya’ to the house!”

“Hey!” Connie yelled after him while laughing, catching up to him. The snow crunched under their feet as the smoke stopped rising in the distance, letting the soft cold blue breath in the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, Steven's growing. Our baby boy is getting taller. 
> 
> I don't think I've said this yet, but my new years resolution is to post more chapters than last year lol. Since last year I (technically) got 20 done, I'm heading for 30 or 35. I really wanna get to some of the meat this year, but for now we're chewing on covered bone. Until the next chapter!


	22. Sworn to the Sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Connie try to get better at sword fighting, but Steven feels like he isn't up to snuff while learning with Pearl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, how have you been doing?
> 
> I don't have much to say really, just that I have tested for Covid. I can't taste jack and my nose is stuffy. Yeah, It is very mild so I highly doubt it will stop me from writing. 
> 
> edit: Yo there was something I wanted to talk about! The golden 70 sitting next to the chapter numbers. That's the amount of chapters planned for the fic, and I know its a lot but its good we have a set ending. I probably won't edit it, but I've been trying to reduce the number of chapters so it isn't so many. 
> 
> P.S: One might be a gift to you guys when we reach a certain milestone ^-^

# Sworn to the Sword

  
  


Steven and Connie sat in front of the heater as the grey clouds outside moved along the sky. The snow that covered the beach and town was fading, but that didn't mean the two friends inside couldn't munch on marshmallows while heating up from the cold left behind by Winter.

"So then I followed Pearl and this stranger named Ruby who I didn't know yet, but technically did know, through the ship before I found Lapis." Steven rambled on before biting a marshmallow. He chewed on it as Connie’s face flashed with recognition. 

"Isn't she the one that kidnapped you?" Connie asked, the ocean-less day when she heard about the water stealing gem flashing in her head. Steven frowned and sighed, "Yeah… that's her. But she only did it because she was scared! Now… I don't think she likes me."

"Why's that?" Connie thought the gem didn’t already. In her defense, you don’t go stealing people you like and all. 

"She… said she didn't want to look at me last time, and looked really… mad, I guess? I think she's sad that she didn't get home like she wanted, and now she's gone somewhere… I hope she flew her way back." 

"Yeah, she doesn't sound like the other ones. Did you guys defeat that big one… Jasper?”

“No… she escaped while we got distracted. So did Peridot… I hope they don’t come back. I don’t want them to hurt us.” Steven placed a hand on his elbow as Connie gave him a contemplative look. 

“Well, what if we went to some martial arts dojo or something? Then we could learn how to fight them and defend ourselves.” She said while raising an eyebrow. Steven looked over confused before a smile stretched across his lips. “Wait… I have an idea!” 

* * *

“You want me to do _what_?” Pearl exclaimed while looking down at the two in surprise. She barely walked a foot or two out of her room when the two kids ran up to her with large grins. 

“You can teach me and Connie how to swordfight! I know it didn’t go well last time but I think it’ll be different now! Besides, Connie’s already good at it!” The girl next to him blushed and whispered his name with an embarrassed face. 

“She fought off an evil clone of herself, and she helped take down that centipede monster when we met. And… she’s really smart! Please Pearl, can you teach us?” He put his hands together and gave her large begging eyes. It didn’t work though, as Pearl was already covering her eyes.

“I don’t know, Steven.”

“Please, ma’am… the Earth is my home too, and if anything comes to harm it, I want to be able to protect it if anything goes wrong! I want to be able to save Steven when evil gems come back!” She raised her fists as she slowly became more passionate in her words. Steven was looking at her with stars in his eyes before following up on her small speech.

“Yeah! I know I didn’t do much when they landed, but I want to be able too! I want to make sure Connie and everyone else is safe!”

Pearl was holding back tears and covering her mouth as she whispered, “Oh… okay!” She wiped her eyes and nodded, “I’ll do it.” 

* * *

Steven looked around the Sky Arena as Connie stood next to him. Pearl held two swords up in her hands towards them. One was curved and had golden highlights on its hilt, a scimitar. The other was straight but appeared to be a sabre, with a blue glint on its blade. 

“These two swords will carry you through till the end, but we will not use them yet,” She put them in her gem before instead taking out two wooden swords. “These here are called _wasters_ , and we’ll start off with these as you train.” She walked over and handed each to them. Connie looked like she just found the Fountain of Youth as she examined the wooden sword in her hands. Steven looked excited too, already practicing swinging it to the side. 

Pearl coughed in her hand and regained their attention, “Now, here is where I first learned the concept of being a _knight_ , the life to live and die for someone else, a cause, a _dream_. You two will go through that journey.”

Connie raised a hand and asked, “Are you the reason knights were created? I heard they were made just a little bit into the B.C.E’s.”

Pearl smirked before saying, “No, the concept was developed just a little bit after I came to Earth. But I’m the reason it _worked._ ” She chuckled at the amazement in Connie’s eyes before quickly regaining her ‘teacher look’ and saying, “We’ll need to work harder, since both of you are human… well, one of you. We’re going to have to create a schedule and diets so that you can work at your peak performance.” 

“I’m already on a healthy diet, ma’am. Do I still need to change it?”

“Perhaps... your body will be put under tremendous amounts of stress, so it would be good to adjust it still.” Steven glanced between them and asked, “What about me, Pearl?”

“You’re gonna need an entire _rework_.” She said exasperated, making Steven blush and look embarrassed. “So for now on, no more high sugar snacks and Cookie Cats.”

“What!? I don’t know if I want to do this anymore guys.” 

“Wait, Steven. It’s gonna be worth it! Watch!” Connie said as the boy looked sullen, staring at the waster in his hands. Pearl nodded, “Yes, your skills will drastically improve, Steven.” She gave a smirk before twirling around and summoning a Holo-Pearl, who had a holographic sword in her hand. Steven’s eyes widened at the sight of her, and his hands gripped down the handle tightly. 

“We’ll be using this Holo-Pearl as your sparring partner. With this, you’ll begin learning the full basics of swordsmanship and knighthood. Now, who wants to begin?” She gave a smirk as Connie whooped, “I do!” While Steven gave a hesitant nod with a smile. 

“Then let us begin!”

* * *

**One Week Later**

  
  


Steven groaned as he laid in bed, his eyes grew heavy before he saw the light of the temple door open. He lifted his head weakly and saw Pearl walking into the living room. She looked up at him and asked, “Are you ready, Steven?”

“Pearl, can we take a break?”

His question made the white gem frown and place her hands on her hips, “Steven, you can’t begin slacking. Plus, you’re already behind on your training. Connie’s several levels ahead of you already.” 

Steven stood up and changed his clothes slowly, much to the dismay of the gem on the warp pad. After he put a blue star shirt over his head and a pair of sneakers, he made his way to the warp before stopping and putting a hand on his stomach. “Wait, can I eat something first?” 

“First of all, your next meal isn’t until two hours. Second, if you’re truly prepared then you would be ready to fight at any moment.” Pearl said as she crossed her arms behind her back. Steven grimaced and walked over to the warp, looking off to the side to hide his face. 

The warp activated and took them to the Sky Arena, all the while Steven was lost in deep thought. As they walked down into the arena, Steven took his sword handed to him and adjusted his body. Pearl created a Holo-Pearl in front of him and said, “Now, we’ll do an assessment of the skills you’ve learned so far. After this, we’ll work on more offensive moves.” 

Steven shifted on his feet and gained a long stance, his sword staring up at Holo-Pearl’s fake one. Pearl stepped a few feet back so she was out of the way and said, “Now… begin!”

The Holo-Pearl’s eyes turned red as she lifted her sword and said, “ _Training Assessment begin!_ ” Making Steven gulp nervously and take a step forward. Holo-Pearl swung high, making Steven block it with the middle of his blade, before Holo-Pearl caught the sword’s blade with her own and disarmed him. The sword clanged before resting on the ground, making Steven try and go for it, before Holo-Pearl’s sword landed on his head. It didn’t actually hit him, instead her blade disappeared around his head. 

“ _Challenger defeat! Assessment failed!_ ” She said before standing straight up. Pearl walked over with a judging look as Steven looked over at her. 

“Well, first of all your stance was off. Your legs were too far apart, and your sword should’ve been aimed lower. You did well in blocking the attack, but you were disarmed too easily. Next time, make sure to head for a flick instead, and don’t give your attacker time to strike.”

Steven nodded as he picked up his sword with a frown and walked back to face Holo-Pearl. Pearl sighed and said, “Now, try again, and this time do _not_ fail.” 

Holo-Pearl repeated what she said last time, and Steven this time took the opportunity to attack first, lunging at the hologram. His shoe got caught on a deep crack under him, causing him to trip off to the side. He screamed and grabbed onto Holo-Pearl, bringing her down on top of him. The back of his head smacked into the ground as Holo-Pearl said, “ _Training Assessment completed!_ ” 

He heard a disappointed sigh come from Pearl. “Steven, watch your footing next time. Try one more time.” 

He was in front of Holo-Pearl again, the hologram said the same thing he’s heard her say for the past two times. She feinted and instead went for an overhead strike. Steven’s mind went blank as he stared at her torso before going in with a stab. It was inches away from her clear form before he heard, “ _Challenger defeated, Assessment failed!_ ” 

Steven’s head dropped as he grinded his teeth together. He stopped and gave Pearl an apologetic look. “I’m sor-”

“Let’s move back to level 1.” Pearl interrupted, walking past him to the steps of the arena. Steven’s jaw dropped before he said, “What?! Wait! Give me another chance.”

“You’ve obviously forgotten it. We’ll need to work on it again.” She didn’t meet his eyes as Holo-Pearl resetted and Steven gave an ashamed look to the ground. 

* * *

He rubs a finger on the counter while sighing. He wasn’t making _any_ progress with sword training. Pearl put him down to the last form because he was so bad. Why? 

The screen door opened up and Connie walked inside with a large, happy smile. “Hey Steven. How are you doing?” 

He looked over and she noted how _tired_ he looked, with bags starting to form under his eyes. She also noticed how he looked very slightly slimmer, which was probably from the training… she hoped. 

“I’m good,” He said between yawning. “Why did you come so early? We don’t have training in a while.” 

“I wanted to hang out before we left. Are you excited to train together? I can’t wait! It’s gonna be so cool fighting together!” Connie rambled on as Steven nodded along, occasionally commenting on a few things. “And the adrenaline! I think I’m addicted! It feels awesome to finally learn something I want to, y’know?”

“Yeah… it’s cool.” Steven said with a small smile. Connie frowned slightly before asking him, “Hey… you look tired. Are you okay?”

Steven perked up and nodded, “I’m fine, I just woke up really early.” Connie raised an eyebrow and pointed at him. 

“Okay, but you have bags under your eyes. Are you sure you’re getting enough sleep, Steven?” 

“Wait, I have…” He touched at the skin under his eyes in confusion before the temple door opened up and Pearl walked out with a grin. As soon as she caught sight of Connie, she brightened up and put her hands together. “You’re right on time! Are you two ready to start your first joint training together?”

Connie stood up and pumped a fist, “Yes ma’am!” While Steven gave a faux smile and said. “Yeah.”

Pearl smirked as the two walked onto the warp pad, Steven stepping a little more sluggish than the excited girl next to him. His shoulders were hanging loose… _too loose._

Pearl frowned and her eyes narrowed slightly at him before she activated the warp pad. After a few seconds in the warp stream, they were at the Sky Arena. Once they made it into the arena itself, Pearl walked ahead of them and said, “Now, the beginning of this session will be to see how well you two work together to take down my holograms. Then, you’ll need to use your skills to take down the final one. This will give me a good way to evaluate both of your abilities and how well you cooperate.” 

Connie nodded quickly, hanging onto every word of her teacher. Steven, however, was nervously sweating bullets. His hands were growing clammy, and he tried hiding himself as he wiped them against his shirt.

Pearl handed their swords to them, and Steven met eyes with her pleading ones. He bit his cheek as she walked ahead and gained a stern look, “Now, let us begin!” She put her arms up and Steven looked surprised when clouds swarmed to them, creating a thick fog around the arena. Steven could barely see Connie next to him, who dropped down into a stance he wasn’t familiar with. After trying to replicate it, he gave up and did his own. 

“Alright, follow my lead and stay on defense, okay?” Connie said next to him with a confidence he never really heard from her until now. He tried to respond, but she was already running ahead into the fog. Steven yelled, “Wait!” As he ran in her direction, soon hearing the whips of swords meeting. His eyes darted left and right, and eventually he stopped and called out, “Connie!”

Instead of an answer, he got a blade swung at his stomach, making him jump back in surprise. It narrowly missed him, but that didn’t usually matter. This time it did. It was _real_. Not a part of the hologram, but a real sword given to it. Steven’s eyes stared at it with fear as he held up his own to block another attack. It went for a lunge, sword aimed straight at his neck before a scimitar plunged deep in Holo-Pearl’s chest. 

Connie was behind the hologram as it disappeared, dropping a sword on the ground. “You okay, Steven?”

He nodded quickly, “Y-Yeah.” 

“Good, we have to get the last ones!” She turned and moved into the fog, much to Steven’s dismay. 

“Wait! Let’s stick together here!” He said as he followed behind her, holding up a hand slightly. She stopped walking and looked back with a nod. “Alright, but how are we gonna defeat the last holograms like this?” 

“We wait for them to come to us. We can hold them off here!” Steven said as he put his back to Connie’s, giving a slight encouraging look. Connie nodded but gave a confused look around them. She didn’t understand why they wouldn’t go as fast as they could to fight their opponents. 

Eventually two holograms came out from the fog, swinging above their heads to strike down on the two. Connie parried one as Steven blocked the other, but lost his grip on his sword. He fumbled for it as the hologram in front of him quickly aimed to stab him. Connie saw this from the corner of her eye, and ducked her head to cut the hologram she was fighting in half. Then she turned and passed her sword over Steven’s shoulder, stabbing the hologram in a wide arc, simultaneously blocking its sword. 

Steven looked over and saw Connie smiling at him, making him grin back. Underneath, it was the opposite. ‘ _I’m making Connie do all the work. I need to do something!_ ’

The fog rolled away from them as they heard, “ _You think you can challenge me?_ ” Connie and Steven looked over and saw a tall, brutish Holo-Pearl holding a battle axe in both hands, glaring at them angrily with ruby red eyes across the arena. Connie’s eyes gained stars at the surprise opponent, while Steven’s jaw went slack. 

Connie suddenly bolted at the large Holo-Pearl, and Steven sprinted to catch up to her. He soon ran by her side, glaring daggers at the Holo-Pearl. This was his moment. His redemption. If he couldn’t defeat the normal Holo-Pearls, then he was gonna take down the boss! 

He finally felt confidence run through his body, powering his drive to run. Then it faltered. 

He was walking on snow, his sword felt bigger in his hand, longer too. Jasper was smirking at him and _didn’t even see him as a threat. She kille-_

His foot got caught on a crack, and in his surprise he summoned a shield and hit the ground. He rolled onto his side and soon found himself staring up at the clear blue sky above. He could hear Connie grunting and fighting just a few feet away from him. It ended after a few seconds and Connie whooped, “Yeah! That was awesome!” 

She noticed him on the ground as his shield disappeared in a flash. He was staring up at the sky with a shadowed look on his face, and his hair was hiding his eyes from view. Walking over, Connie looked down at him before asking, “Are you… alright?”

A loud, enthusiastic clapping came from the steps of the arena. “Congratulations you two! That was impressive!” Pearl complimented as she walked to them, beaming with a proud smile. “That was a… good start to joint training. Connie, you were excellent, but you ran off at the beginning away from your partner. And Steven… well, you were good at the start, but you continuously lost your footing. And then you lost your composure at the end. You need to keep in mind your surroundings throughout, otherwise… _that_ will happen.”

Steven sat up and grabbed his sword, before standing and saying, “I’ll improve.” 

Pearl gave a light smile and nodded, “Good, let’s see to it then! Now, since there is a gap between you two, I will teach you certain techniques not taught in the basics.” 

As Pearl continued to talk, Steven tuned it out with one thought in mind. ‘ _I didn’t defeat a single one._ ’

* * *

Lion’s head perked up as he heard a silent sob come from his savior. The saint was sitting on the couch, hunched over while holding their head. 

He could hardly breathe as his throat felt clogged. Even taking a long pause to try and stop wasn’t enough. “I don’t get it Lion. Why can’t I just… do this?! They know I’m bad at this… so why keep playing around it? I just… I just want to get better.”

He sighed longingly as he looked down at his hands. They were getting rougher, and he didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. Shouldn’t he be getting better at sword fighting? No matter how much he listened to her, he just couldn’t do it right. Then his thoughts were interrupted by Lion pressing his nose against the side of Steven’s face. The boy quickly moved it back, glancing at the animal confused. 

“Lion? What are you-” The pink feline did it again, making Steven fully push back his nose. “Hey! Cut that…” He stopped as Lion moved back and lowered himself on the ground, making Steven realize what he was doing. “Ooooh… hold on.” Steven took his phone off the table and walked over, climbing onto the back of Lion. He held onto the mane as Lion stretched and roared, creating a portal near the front door. 

Lion jumped through and exited at the Sky Arena, making Steven look around confused. “Um… Lion, when I said I wanted to improve, I didn’t mean to start training right now. Besides, it's night anyway.” He climbed off the animal and looked around curiously. The moon sat to the side a bit, but shined brightly across the entire arena. 

A _shnnng_ came from behind, and he noticed Lion leaning forward while pointing his head at him. The sight seemed familiar, because this wasn’t the first time Lion did this. As he expected, the hilt of Rose’s sword appeared from Lion’s head. Steven raised an eyebrow and took hold of it, eventually taking the entire sword and scabbard out. 

“Lion, why give me this? Do you want me to use it or something?” He shifted the scabbard in his hands so that it was leaning against his shoulder. His eyes met the rose symbol in the middle of it, and eventually he removed his stare off of it and looked at Lion. “I can’t use this, Lion. It was mom’s.”

Lion blinked at him, he blinked back. His mom was gone… and her stuff was now with him. She left it to him, didn’t she? ‘ _Her things are mine now… is this some sort of… destiny she left behind?_ ’ 

He looked back down at the sword, then Lion. The feline was just staring at him before yawning. Walking past the pink king of the jungle, Steven went over to the seats lining most of the arena and sat down. The blade slid out a few inches out of the scabbard as he looked down at it. A glint of pink flashed across the weapon as he studied it. It was heavy in his hand, and after fully sliding it out, he realized it had much more weight to it then let on. 

He gave an experimental swing using two hands. It was a given seeing as the thing was longer than he was. But it was fast too, and actually pretty quick with the amount of effort he put into the swing. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t also struggling with it, as after it finished its arc, Steven’s body turned a little bit, almost making him lose his balance. 

After correcting and saving himself from a fall, he let the sword’s end scratch against the ground. ' _It's hard to control my swing, but… it feels familiar. Like I'm used to it._ '

He took out his phone and clicked onto the internet. Hopefully, one of the results would help teach him how to use it. Honestly, you could find out anything with Bibble. And there it was, sitting on the middle of his phone. Clicking on the guide, he sat back down on the seats with the sword laying against his side. 

* * *

"Steven, you're losing grip on your sword."

His head whipped to the side with a questioning look, before he blushed and fixed his hands. The small sword in his hands felt off. Maybe it was because he was getting used to a sword four times as large, or maybe it was because he was just bad. 

"Sorry Pearl." He didn't need to apologize, but a part of him just needed to. 

The teacher sighed and said, "Good, now pay attention to how I move my legs."

* * *

_"Steven, you're using the wrong technique."_

* * *

_"Hey, do you wanna take a break?"_

_"No Connie, I'm fine. Let's keep going."_

* * *

_"Here ya' go, Steven! I found this piece of leather on your ukulele, and I might've… 'took’ it from that."_

_"Thanks Pink… wait, what?"_

* * *

The strap was tight, but it kept the scabbard on him, so it would have to do. 

As time went on, he found himself more accustomed to his mom’s sword. The longer he trained, the more he improved. What you would expect from training. Except it made him surprised. His progress was stagnant before he held his mom’s sword. But now he was getting better, to the point he was surprising himself. 

And all of that led to him now, standing in the arena as the sun was barely peeking above the top of the arena. His sword was out in front of him, aimed at the invisible opponent ahead. He then swung it around overhead, and turned it for a sweeping attack to the left. Dust particles flew up as the sword glided past. Bringing the blade up in a defensive position, he parried an attack and ducked into a roll, then slashed the air coming out of it. 

His body didn’t have the same aching and bite it had just two weeks ago. He was getting used to this now. And that was evident by the calluses on his hands, covered by white bandages. Then he watched as a bright light came from the sky and touched down on the other side of the arena right where the warp pad was. A dreadful void filled his gut as he whipped his head around at the sun before face palming. 

‘ _Why did I stay out so late?!_ ’ He quickly sheathed the sword and ran over to Lion, “Lion, we have to go!”

The feline just sat there, not even opening an eye to look at him. He was running out of time! “Lion! Get up!” 

Again, Lion didn’t react to him, instead just yawning and moving his head to the side. “Lion! Why are you only useful when you want to be?!” He held his head in frustration before he noticed the distant voices of Pearl and Connie. He looked up and they were staring _right_ at him. Then he saw Pearl rush down the stairs at him, her eyes wide in pure anger. 

“Why in the world do you have _that_?!” She shouted as she crossed the broken stone between him and her as fast as her feet would go. Steven’s eyes flicked to the back of the scabbard just barely peeking into his view. 

“I was just… testing it out… in case I wanted to use it.” He looked back at her as she glowered and scoffed. 

“You aren’t ready to use that sword. You need to stop toying with it and give it here.” She moved and tried to take the sword and scabbard from it, taking a very angry note that a strap had been crudely put on it. It made her eyes burn just a _little_ bit more.

Steven moved back from her as Connie finally reached the two. “Why are you here, Steven?” She asked, before noticing him moving away from Pearl. 

“Steven, hand that over right now!” Pearl barked as she pointed her finger at him and her teeth pushed against each other. 

“Why can’t I have it? It's mom's anyway, doesn’t that mean I can use it?” Steven said as he continued backing away from her. Pearl began closing the gap as she stalked forward, “You’re not ready!”

“It’s _mine_!” 

Pearl stopped completely at Steven’s yell. Her eyes had a shadow over them, accompanying the cold glare on him. 

“Mom left it for me, right? Now I gotta start using it, that’s why she left it. If I’m not ready, then let me show you I am!” 

“Fine.” His eyebrows raised up slightly but then narrowed when Pearl’s gem glowed and she pulled out her sword from it. She jumped up with enough force to cause Steven’s shirt to flap in the wind as she landed meters away, pointing her sword up at him. “We’ll duel, prove it.” 

“Wait! Hold on! Why can’t Steven use the sword, ma’am?” Connie interrupted, but Pearl’s eyes were held on Steven. A ferocious fire burned behind her pale blue pupils. Steven took out his sword as Connie looked at the two flabbergasted. Then, her hands tightened and she walked over to Steven’s side. 

He looked at her confused, “What ar-”

“I’m joining the duel with Steven!” Connie took her sword off her hip and brought it up as she took a low stance. 

“What? No! I have to do this alone!” Steven said angrily as he glared at her. 

“He needs to take me head on by himself!” Pearl shouted, turning her blade in her hand to make it face a new angle. Connie huffed and said, “No! This is why we started training!” 

She turned her gaze towards Steven and gave a nod, “Ready when you are.” 

Steven glanced at her in his peripheral vision and frowned deeply. His sword still held out, he focused on Pearl and waited. They were all silent as they stood still, letting the wind passing by fill their ears. A piece of rubble from a pillar fell off and hit the ground, causing all three to suddenly charge at each other. 

Connie led ahead of Steven as Pearl soared closer to them. Her being a full gem was definitely not making this fight fair at all. But her mind noted Steven trailing right behind. He was half gem, a quartz to be specific. He was going to be _their_ strength in this fight. And if he was the strength, Connie would be the agility. 

Pearl was moments away from her, and Connie acted quickly in meeting her blade with her master’s. The tall gem glowered as Connie began connecting swings with her. It began straining her nerves when she was forced to move back from them. Connie, her best student in a thousand years, was stopping her from her goal. It was almost enough to make a blood vessel appear on her, even though she had none. 

She parried a swing and went for a strike to disarm her, but a large pink sword connected against the side of her sword, sending sparks flying against her cheek. Even Connie was taken by surprise, and quickly maneuvered herself so she was out of the way of Steven. Pearl stepped back, getting distance away from the two. 

She was gonna have to be careful with Steven. Even if he was inexperienced, with that sword in his hands, she could very well poof with a well placed stab. Then that thought disappeared as she remembered _Steven_ had it. He couldn’t barely learn the first step in the basics she tried teaching him. It was more possible getting hit by him on accident then by him actually trying to attack her.

Steven was heading for her now, eyes stuck in a frustrated glare while he held the sword aimed backwards. Connie was passing him again before he yelled, “Stop trying to help!” 

“No, we’re doing this together!” She responded while huffing in breaths quickly, sweat rolling down her forehead like bullets. Steven gritted his teeth and tried getting ahead of her, yet the big sword in his grasp was slowing him down. He internally berated himself for not being faster. 

Pearl and Connie struck at each other again, this time Connie on the defensive as Pearl began making unpredictable swings at her. Steven groaned angrily as he found no way to intercept the two, “Connie!” 

Then his eyes widened when Pearl suddenly kicked out a leg and tripped Connie off her feet. The girl gritted her teeth as she was sent rolling back by another kick to her side. It felt like a knife was repeatedly getting stabbed into her, enough to make an eye water. She let out a shaky gasp as she tried grabbing her sword and standing back up, only barely getting to her feet. 

She saw Pearl's shadow over her before hearing a loud _schtinngg_ as a pink sabre blocked a stab. Steven was over her while covering his chest with the sword, blocking the blow with the sheer width of the blade. He pushed it forward with his left hand, and turned it to swing outwards, prompting Pearl to jump back from the attack. Connie picked her sword up and looked at Steven, “Why won’t you let me protect you?”

“I don’t _need_ protection!” Steven said as he furrowed his brows and glared ahead at Pearl. A curling regret poisoned his stomach, but his head tried replacing it with frustration. Unknowingly, his grip on his sword tightened to the point it was turning red.

“You do! What would happen if Jasper came back right now? What then?!” Connie yelled as she turned half her body to face Steven. Her question made Steven freeze and his eyes opened up from their glare into a fearful look. 

“I-Look out!” Steven yelped as he brought his sword up to block a swing aimed right next to his head. Pearl was back to fighting, her eyes the size of dots on Steven, making him feel a dread he’s been hiding inside the entire time. Pearl’s sword pulled away and clashed against his sword again, pushing him back. But that ended when Connie stepped in and parried a swing next to him. Steven glanced at her with growing awe before looking back at Pearl with a determined look. He moved to the side slightly as Connie began swinging let and right, making Pearl stay on the defensive. 

The teacher was clenching her jaw together as she focused on blocking Connie’s attacks. Connie was fast, but she wasn’t fast enough to dodge the wild swing Pearl took in between one of Connie’s attacks. It met Rose’s sword when Steven swooped in from the side with a steadfast grimace. Pearl faltered before Steven’s arm shined and a shield appeared next to it, before he threw it at her. Due to the close proximity, Pearl ended up taking the shield to the nose. 

Steven and Connie stood shoulder to shoulder as Pearl groaned before practically growling. 

“You’re right… we need to do this together!” Steven said as he extended a hand out to her. Connie’s eyes grew stars before she took it with a confident smile. “Together!” She shouted as she raised her sword above her head. Steven did the same and they ran ahead at full steam. Pearl’s eyes widened as the two jumped towards her, and a light blinded her vision. A kick to the stomach and a powerful reverb in her body made her roll on the ground for what felt like an eternity. 

Her form burned, and it was clear that whatever… _that_ was nearly made her lose her form. Looking up, instead of Steven and Connie… it was a taller woman, with long black hair that hung above her forehead in a messy cluster. The rest fell back into a long ponytail. Her outfit was a mix of Connie’s training clothes and Steven’s shirt, which sat just under the clothing. 

Her form froze completely at her appearance, looking the stranger up and down. Then a deep realization only thought impossible hit her. “You… _fused_.”

The fusion, as she assumed, gave a confused head tilt and a “huh?” before looking down at themselves. They let out a startled gasp, “I did?!” 

They looked at every inch of themselves before an excited smile tugged at their lips. It fell instantly, both the smile and the fusion, as they were engulfed in light and Steven and Connie reappeared on the ground. Both sat up instantly while staring at each other, their jaws hanging open.

After a few seconds of silence, Pearl finally screamed. "How did you two do that?!" She stood up and paced over, ranting on how it shouldn't have been possible. "At the very least, it seems inappropriate! I… how did you do that?" She looked at Steven with a questioning face, and the boy simply shrugged back.

Pearl faltered before Connie spoke up, "You… lost." 

Her words made Pearl acknowledge the sword in her hand and realize that three-fourths of the blade was missing. The rest was laying on the ground a few feet away from where she got kicked by the fusion. 

Pearl's face looked sick as she covered her mouth and turned away from them. "I did… you can use the sword, Steven." She sighed with exasperation, walking away with her sword's lonely grip in her hand. 

Steven and Connie looked at each other before Steven stepped forward and said, "Wait, hold on. Why couldn't I use it, Pearl?" 

The pale gem stopped and glanced back at him, "I… see so much of _her_ in you. I just didn't want to see you try and replace that."

"What? What does _that_ mean?" Steven asked while growing more frustrated by the second. Pearl turned to him and held her arms crossed with a confused look. “I’m not trying to replace mom! I just wanted to get better… but you kept putting me down! I always kept failing at something, and I couldn’t take it anymore,” He grabbed onto his arm and rubbed it, his frustration draining out. “So I trained on my own.” 

“Steven… you could’ve told us you were feeling down about it. I’m sure Pearl didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, right?” Connie gave Pearl a glance, seeing the nod the gem gave. Pearl gently stepped over and got down on her knees in front of the two. 

“Steven, I’m so sorry. I should’ve taken your feelings into consideration when teaching,” She wiped away a tear forming near her eye and placed a hand on Steven's right and Connie's left shoulder. “You two are going to be great knights!” She brought them into a tight, comforting hug, and Connie returned it while Steven gave an empathetic look her way. He placed a hand just beneath her shoulder and returned it. 

Pearl pulled away and sniffed, “Now… we should tell the others about your fusion. I believe that was your first time, right?” 

“Yeah. It felt really weird, like you kinda just… disappear?” Steven shrugged while rubbing the back of his neck. Connie nodded and said, “It felt like we were a whole other person!”

“That’s because you _were_ a whole other person! Oh, we shouldn’t wait! Come on, let’s go.” Pearl seemed to be a little bit chipper at the prospect. Steven’s felt the complex emotions swirling in his head lighten just a little bit. Pearl walked behind and guided them to the steps, giving an encouraging grin all the way. 

Her broken sword was laying behind them, abandoned by the white gem. The other half glinted in the sunlight, reflecting the blue cloudy sky above. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giving Steven Rose's Sword was very conflicting for me, but I like it. A problem I had was, y'know, Connie using it in the actual show. But I think it would be more interesting if Steven used it. 
> 
> Anything you don't like? Tell me, being silent about it won't fix anything. 
> 
> Until next time!


	23. Reformed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst and Pink try to deal with the Slinker, but personal feelings start getting in the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup, I'm alive! 
> 
> Sorry for the wait, I read the entire FMA manga in five days and I'm fine. Completely fine. Totally... F-fine. 
> 
> Enjoy!

# Reformed 

“Aww! C’mon, why can’t Garnet do this or something?” Amethyst asked with a begging look plastered across her face. 

“Garnet’s busy with a mission right now. We can’t wait to deal with the Slinker.” Pink said while putting her hands on her hips, looking around the crystal-lined room with a frown. The junk seemed higher than normal, which was natural with the purple gem being the worst hoarder in the world, only beating out Greg and herself. 

“Ugh… it isn’t that big of a deal. And don’t call it the ‘Slinker', it’s just weird.” 

Amethyst crossed her arms while Pink looked down at her and said, “But it _is_ a big deal, if it gets throughout the entire temple, it could mean catastrophic damage to the integrity. It’s the only active one left, so we need to make sure it stays in shape… and the nickname has already stuck.” 

Amethyst rolled her eyes, “Whatever, just don’t break all my junk.” And walked past her, heading towards the mounds of garbage in the middle of the room. 

“I’ll be extra careful.” Pink said with a polite smile, giving a thumbs up. Her and Amethyst perked up when they heard the loud thunder of clutter collapsing. The two glanced at each other before she said, “I guess we should start there.” 

Amethyst let out a “hmph” before heading in the direction of the noise. Pink eventually passed her while walking, so the annoyed glances Amethyst made eventually left her view. It wasn’t like she was paying attention to them anyway. 

The mess left by the Slinker was spread out across the ground. Shelves, a weird statue, a helmet; everything you could think of was sprawled all over. It made one think of how she could even get her hands on some of the stuff. Like the gas mask that she picked up off the ground and showed to the smaller gem. 

“Hey Amethyst, look! It’s that thing humans used to wear a lot! It looks like-Ahh!” She recoiled and dropped the gas mask when a skull fell out onto her hand. She threw it as far as she could, making a quiet _crk_ when it landed in the distance. Amethyst turned her head to a pile of junk and kicked it boredly, “Ugh, this is just a waste of time.” 

Trash fell from the pile after her kick, accidentally revealing a tentacle resting inside. Pink saw it as soon as she turned her head, her hair nearly standing up in surprise. “Amethyst! Look out!"

“Hu-AH!” Amethyst screamed as the tentacle grabbed her leg and picked her up in the air. A chattering noise came from the pile, sounding close to a growl. Then it turned to a confused tick before a pink shield crashed into the pile. Amethyst landed face first into the ground as junk fell and rolled right next to her. 

Pink ran up as Amethyst lifted her head and asked, “Did ya’ get it?” 

“I don’t believe so, it must’ve escaped.” 

Amethyst sat up as Pink walked past and scratched her head at the Slinker’s disappearance. The short gem next to her looked at the remains of the pile, before she frowned and said, “Aww, my favorite round thing was in there.” 

“I’ll get you a new round thing.” Pink gave her a sympathetic smile and Amethyst in turn gave a skeptical look. She huffed as she stood up and turned to the taller gem. 

“Are we gonna go after it or what?” She said gruffly, crossing her arms. 

“Of course, now let’s find where it went.” Pink wasted no time walking ahead and going through to the other side of the destroyed junk. She looked around before checking ahead. Amethyst joined her side and lazily glanced around, before speaking up. 

“Hey, over there.” She elbowed Pink’s hip a little bit, making the tall gem look over. Amethyst pointed over to the side, right at a tunnel leading into the side of a jagged, abrupt cliff in the room. Crystals peeked over the top, and Pink and Amethyst walked over and peered inside. The crystals in the rock lit the tunnel up in a constant glow. They glanced at each other warily before heading in. 

Silence creeped onto the two as they trudged through the tunnel. It was almost perfectly circular, and appeared to be never ending. Amethyst had her arms crossed behind her head now, and her eyes darted everywhere to find something to focus on. 

The veil of silence was broken when she said, “You gonna warn me next time when you throw a wall at me?” 

Her words made Pink look at her confused, before realizing what she meant and then nodded, “Oh… yeah, sorry. I will.” 

“Well, you would be sorry if you weren’t destroying stuff in my room.” Pink faltered before a frown spread across her lips. 

“I’m sorry, but it had you in its grasp.”

Amethyst looked down before scoffing, “I could’ve gotten out. I would’ve shapeshifted.” 

“Except you didn’t. And we’re still dealing with a dangerous monster in _your_ room.” 

“Hey! You have animals and stuff around your place all the time!” Amethyst threw a hand out while glaring offendedly at Pink. 

“Yes, but they don’t attack me and create… holes throughout the place.” Pink pointed her palm at the walls around them to emphasize her point. 

“This is the first-” “Second.” “Second time this has happened, okay?!”

“I don’t understand why you’ve been ignoring this blatant problem. This Slinker has been in here for nearly a whole week.” 

“I don’t like it when you guys start goin’ through my stuff. Plus, I ain’t even the one who brought it in here! That was you guys,” She threw her hands up while groaning, “Besides, this is all junk anyway!”

“You need to care for your room, though. I won’t deny that we had a hand in it being here, but now it’s tearing up your home. Shouldn’t you want to stop that?”

“I’m here, ain’t I?” Amethyst scowled with an annoyed glint in her eyes. Pink didn’t respond, instead focused on the tunnel ahead. Her brow was knitted together as she gained a troubled look. 

The cold that covered her gemstone was more prevalent than ever. It was distracted for a little bit after Amethyst walked ahead of her, her pace speeding up. Finally, after two minutes of walking, a crossroad appeared in the tunnel. Two options sat in front of them, left or right. 

The two stood still for a second before Amethyst stepped into the middle and hummed. The tip of her finger met her chin as she tapped it in a quick rhythm. Which stopped abruptly when the rock above her exploded and the slinker plowed down on her, digging into the floor. Pink staggered back in shock as a cloud shot out from the hole. After regaining herself, Pink cried, “Amethyst!” 

She jumped down the hole, summoning her sword in her left hand after she landed. Her eyes caught a glimpse from the purple gemstone on the ground, causing her eyes to fall into a sullen look. She picked up the purple gem off the ground and rubbed her thumb against the side. A distant shriek made her look up warily, and see that the tunnel ended ahead. Hiding Amethyst’s gem behind her cloak, she continued down the tunnel to the exit. Outside the tunnel, it was much clearer than the last area she was in. 

The garbage that ruled the room wasn’t as piled up. The purple gem probably didn’t go over this far in the room, which was something Pink was glad for. Having to find a quick, sneaky, and dangerous monster in piles of random human paraphernalia wasn’t the easiest thing on Earth to do. 

And doing it alone was even harder. Now she was left by herself to deal with the pesky creature. A deeper part of her corrected ‘creature’ to gem. They weren’t just fighting monsters or animals. These things used to be normal gems, soldiers, _friends-_

  
  


Her thoughts were interrupted by a purple light radiating from her cloak. She looked at Amethyst’s gem to see it was reforming already, and let it fly up in the air. Amethyst reformed into her previous look, and landed a bit unceremoniously. “Hey, welcome back Ameth… haha!” 

Pink laughed uncontrollably when she realized that Amethyst’s arms came back as two more extra legs, even having feet at the end. Amethyst blushed before crossing her… legs and frowning. 

“Why, hehe, why do you have legs for-hahaha! I’m… hold on… haaa, give me a second!” Pink wiped the edge of her eye and giggled quietly, holding down her laughs. After a while, Amethyst blushed and asked, “Okay, are you done?” 

“Yes, I’m fine. I… whoof, I was not expecting that!” Pink smiled childishly before asking, “Why did you come back like that?” 

“It’s nothing, I just like walking!” Amethyst said as she quickly began walking away, moving her head to make Pink think she was searching for the Slinker. Pink followed right behind, her smile slowly turning into an amused grin. Then, after a few moments passed, she asked, “You should change your form back now. I mean, that was a good joke, but we need to get back to hunting down the Slinker, you won’t be able to use your whip with feet.” 

“Maybe you should mind your own business.” Amethyst retaliated, angrily looking back at her. Pink’s eyes grew disturbed when she saw that a huge ear was poking out from Amethyst's hair. She slowly lifted up a finger and pointed at her, “Did… you mean to have that?” 

Amethyst blushed and stopped dead in her tracks. She flew around and glared at her, “What? You got a problem with how I look?!” 

“W-what? No! No, it’s just-”

“It’s _my_ business how I reform, okay! I get to choose how I look, it doesn’t matter to you if I rush it or not!”

“You… rushed your form? I… Amethyst, you need to take your time with it, like Pearl. I thought it was a… I’m sorry, but you need to fix yourself.” A worried look flashed over Pink before Amethyst snarled. 

“You sayin’ I’m wrong?! Sorry but I’m not Pearl! And you’re the last person who needs to tell me to fix myself!” 

“What do you mean?” 

Amethyst’s glare hardened at the genuinely confused look plastered on Pink’s face. “You know what I meant!”

Before the two could continue their slowly heating up conversation, a tentacle wrapped around Amethyst’s leg and dragged her into a nearby junk pile. Pink’s body shot up in horror as a purple cloud once again exploded. With a summoned sword in one hand and a shield hovering over her forearm, she carefully stepped up to the pile. A quick poke into it garnered no reaction from anything. 

After a deathly quiet moment, she seized the opportunity to find and grab Amethyst’s gem _again_ and kept it close to her chest. Her mind tried racking what the purple gem was saying.

A part of her knew _why_ she was saying it. 

Yet she steeled her nerves and continued the hunt of the dangerous Slinker. The thing had poofed Amethyst twice already. It was clear the thing was strong enough to simply squeeze a gem to poof, and it loved sneak attacks. Simply _amazing_.

She internally groaned before another glow from Amethyst’s gem made her look down at it. Releasing it into the air, Amethyst reformed yet again and…

The biggest deadpan she ever made spread across her face. Amethyst reformed into a shabby recreation of Pearl. The collar and sleeves were overly exaggerated, and nearly falling down to the floor. Her hair was longer than her arm, and she even had a sharp, pointed, upturned nose to finish off her crude look of Pearl. 

“What… am I looking at?” A hint of pure confusion rode on her voice as she stared at Amethyst. Or would it be Ame-pearl? 

“What? I took my reformation seriously, just like you said. You told me to take my time, like _Pearl_ , so I did.” Amethyst gave a snarky, wide smile before twirling around on her foot. “What do you think of my look?”

Pink shook her head, “That’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean to _literally_ be like Pearl.”

“I just did what you said. You can’t really be mad at that, soooo.” Amethyst stuck her tongue out to make her taunting even more annoying. A disappointed frown stretched Pink’s face, before her brow furrowed and she walked past Amethyst coldly. The purple gem turned and followed, putting her hands on the back of her neck. 

“I feel so elegant and tidy now, I can almost feel how everyone besides me is so idiotic! Simply horrendous!” Amethyst put on a fake fancy accent while putting the back of her hand to her forehead. 

Her words garnered no reaction from the pink gem she was following. So she continued… for several more minutes. She would make fun of her appearance, the environment, anything to try and get under Pink’s gem. What she didn’t know was that she was slowly making the diamond boil with anger. The Slinker’s trail had stopped at a large clearing, almost surrounded by junk mounds around the sides. 

Then she saw another tentacle laying on the ground, just barely poking out from the garbage. She paid no attention to Amethyst as she slowly snuck in for an attack, lifting her sword just above the tentacle. 

“OH THIS GARBAGE IS JUST _LUDICROUS_!” 

Pink nearly fell backwards as the Slinker struck out at her from surprise, before quickly disappearing deeper into the mound. Amethyst continued on rambling as Pink breathed in while glaring at the trash in front of her. She stood straight up as Amethyst ended her rant and placed her hands on her hips. 

“Didn’t anyone tell nature how I want it to lo-”

“Stop being an **_idiot_ ** and help!” 

Pink’s scream made Amethyst shudder as the pink gem’s head shot at her with a dark glare, her diamond pupils white. “This whole time, I’ve been the only one actually doing something! Just once can you find it in your gem to help with anything?!” The anger fell from Pink’s face, replaced by desperation. "Please, Amethyst, stop!" 

A few seconds of silence went by before Amethyst finally recovered and snarled. “It’s not like you’re helping at all!”

A moment of confused silence went by before Pink yelled, “WHAT?! I’ve been doing _everything_. You-ya-you can’t-”

“How’s keeping _Homeworld_ a secret helping, huh?!” Amethyst yelled, her eyes nearly tearing up at the full emotional anger behind her words. 

Every emotion on Pink’s face drained away into a blank stare on Amethyst, a shadow covering most of her expression. Amethyst didn’t falter as she continued, “Everything was fine until Peridot came, and then you said you _knew_ she was here! You even dragged Steven in with you because he was some witness or something!

“I mean, did you want us to get killed?! Ha, we nearly did already when Peridot and that big gem came! They _destroyed_ us! And now they’re somewhere on Earth and we’re wasting time with a _stupid_ monster that doesn’t even matter! T-this whole thing is stupid and I can’t even be mad about-” 

She took in the look on Pink’s face before gritting her teeth and turning on her heel. Her footsteps were heavy as she began stomping away. Pink didn’t move to follow her, instead keeping her stare on the ground as her face quivered. 

“Am… Amethyst wait.” Her foot barely listened to her as she willed it to step forward. Amethyst didn’t listen, not even sending a glance back at her. “Amethyst… you have a _right_ to be mad!” 

The purple gem slowed before letting out a huff and turning her head. “Yeah right! How can I be the only one mad when everyone else already moved past this! You all act as if it didn’t matter! Pearl and Steven are doing weird training stuff and Garnet’s always off trying to find Jasper and Peridot! I… know I need to move on but it’s just so confusing!” 

She kicked a rock and split it down the middle, and the other half fell over with a _dmpf_ on the ground. Her fists tightened, the pressure egging her anger. “What was even the _point_?! Did you just want to kill us, is that it!” 

Turning on her heel, she stomped over to Pink, making a small, single crack every time her foot met the ground. “Did you just not want to deal with us? Huh, I guess old habits die hard! You are a diamond after all!” She jabbed her finger up at Pink’s gem, causing the diamond to recoil and stagger, her face scrunching into a dejected look. 

Pink placed a hand on her gem as she averted her gaze to the ground. Amethyst’s anger took a dive, her words rolling in her head before she scowled and looked away. 

“That isn’t it, Amethyst.” She glanced over at Pink, which came out as more of a glare. “I… didn’t want to break the team apart with the threat. I knew that it would hurt us and we wouldn’t be prepared. I… thought it was to protect you, but… I only hurt you all more.” 

“Yeah, you think?!” 

Both stopped instantly when a tentacle wrapped around their arms. In a single instance, they were being pulled towards a cluster of large crystals, a small crack between them. A cyan colored mouth sat inside. 

Amethyst struggled as much as she could, trying to regain her footing on the ground. Pink bit her lip before pointing her foot towards the Slinker. A pink shield shot out, flying towards the cluster of crystals. The tentacles loosened before the shield crashed into the crystals. Rocks and pieces of the crystals launched everywhere as the cluster was destroyed. 

Amethyst was released and flung against the ground, rolling on her side before stopping unceremoniously on the dirt-rock mixture. She stood up and growled, “Ugh! I’m sick of this thing!” 

The area fell silent as Pink summoned a shield near her arm and looked around, trying to catch sight of the monster. She stopped and tilted her head slightly when a low cracking noise reached her hearing. 

Then the ground underneath the two collapsed. 

Amethyst fell backwards and Pink fell forwards as the dirt and rock raced down into the growing crater. The collapse roared across the temple as a plume of dust rose up in the air. Silence fell across the room before Amethyst's head popped out of the dirt. She coughed up dirt and groaned, "Now what?!”

Her eyes whipped left and right before widening. Pink crawled out of the dirt shortly after, while she dusted herself off and looked around. Amethyst stood a short distance away from her as they both seemed taken aback. They were surrounded by rounded, rough walls, rocks poking out and stabbing through them. The large tunnels they travelled through not even fifteen minutes ago were lined up, pointing straight at them. 

“Did the ground fall? What’s going-” A black figure shot past Amethyst, grazing her head and cutting off a chunk of her hair. It disappeared into the air as she stood frozen in shock. “On.” 

A chattering noise echoed through the tunnels while Amethyst summoned her whips. Pink flickered her eyes from tunnel to tunnel, her nose and brow scrunched up in frustration. ‘ _Why is this corrupted gem so_ smart _?!_ ’ 

The Slinker shot out again, using its tentacles to throw itself out of the tunnels at hyperspeed. This time it knocked the two down on their backs, using the ends of its tendrils to get quick, stinging lashes on them. Amethyst’s whip was useless, none of her strikes coming close to the monster. Pink was faring a little better, her shields able to interrupt the Slinker’s dash. But even with them, the Slinker used its speed to its advantage. 

It wrapped a tentacle around one of Pink’s shields and swung around, running down the diamond and using the speed to fly off and almost crush Amethyst. The diamond, after getting hit with the force of a full blown monster, slumped against the wall before coughing and pushing herself back up. 

Her form held together, but it was stressed. ‘ _Anymore time in this pit could mean shattering!_ ’ 

“Amethyst, we have to do something!” Pink yelled to the smaller gem. 

“No duh! This thing is too fast man!” She put a hand out before the Slinker shot out again, this time grabbing onto her neck. It took her along and slammed her into the wall, right as it went back into a tunnel. 

Amethyst groaned in pain as Pink stepped forward with a snarl, “I should’ve done this at the beginning.” She put her arms out before walls began forming at the tunnel entrances. The shields acted as barriers, stopping anything from going in or out of the holes. “There, that should give us some time.” 

“Good, lets get out of this stupid crater!” Amethyst groaned and began walking to the curling wall. 

“Wait… we… Amethyst, I think we might need _Enstatite_.” 

An instant, “No way!” Came from Amethyst as she turned and pointed angrily. “There is no way I’m fusing with you!”

“Just listen to me. The Slinker won’t be able to use its speed when it can’t get near us. And her weapon-”

“I don’t care what she can do! I’m not fusin’!” Amethyst crossed her arms defiantly and snarled, “Go find someone else to manipulate!”

“Manipulate?! That's crossing a line! I don’t manipulate anyone!” 

The ground behind Pink flew open and sent dirt everywhere. Just the force of it sent Pink and Amethyst to the ground and scrambling to protect themselves from the volley of dirt. Amethyst shook her head and glared around, then turned her head up. 

It took everything she had to quickly tackle to the left to avoid being crushed by the monster. Amethyst yelped as stabbing, thick dirt flew up behind her, coating her back with a fresh new coat of purplish rock. 

She shook off the dirt as Pink stood up and said, “Amethyst, Please! I know… I’ve known you for four thousand years,” She shook her head. “Not one moment in any of them did I ever intend on hurting any of you... I'm sorry." 

Amethyst sat in silent contemplation, staring at her with a glare. And then she let out a loud, annoyed groan and yelled, "Fine!" 

She made it over and grabbed Pink's hand, taking her by surprise. The taller gem stared at her, seeing how Amethyst's eyes were focused more on the ground. Then she nodded her head and began the dance. 

It was short, to the point, and more importantly, worked. The two were engulfed by light, feeling their minds slowly merge before Enstatite appeared. 

She put her hands on her hip and gave a frustrated sigh. "So, it's one of those days huh?" She said to no one while she brought her hands up and cracked her knuckles. A mirthless chuckle escaped her throat before, in a blur, she reached backwards. Her lips turned up into a wide sneer as she looked at the squirming monster now stuck in her grasp, her sharp canine teeth glinting. 

“Sorry Slinker… but you gave u-Pink and Amethyst a really bad time. So now you’ve caught me in a bad _mood_.” Her eyes hardened at the monster before she threw her fist down, slamming it into the ground. It wreathed and tried using its tentacles to escape. Enstatite squeezed harder, her hands gaining a small vein from the pressure. 

Seeing no other options from the death grip, the Slinker aimed its head at her before a shot of pitch black ink came barreling out and hit her in the eyes. “Augh! What the fu-” 

She grabbed at the ink, trying her hardest to get it off her face. Clawing it away, she whipped her head and saw the Slinker had escaped, leaving no trail. Her hands clenched together tightly before she felt her form waver. She was losing stability, and hit her leg harshly. 

“Not… now! Hold it together… you idiots!” Her own anger was boiling with it, not helping at all in keeping her form together. But it held, and soon she took a few moments to collect herself before continuing. 

“You both did this to kill it, so… we’re all gonna do just that. No matter what’s goin’ on between us.” 

After the two halves of herself had calmed down, she took action and climbed out of the crater. The hole was making it harder to stay together as it was. Nothing could be heard of the Slinker, and a part of her wondered if it genuinely left. 

A tentacle grabbed her foot. It didn't leave. 

She turned her head, seeing the origins of the tentacles at a pack of crystals. It was pulling on her foot, trying tos drag her there. She pulled back. 

The force brought the Slinker flying out, hissing the entire throw before landing on the ground. Just as it tried moving again, Enstatite's right hand came down on it, pushing it roughly on the ground.

Her left hand began glowing a pale cream before it turned into fire. If the Slinker had eyes, then they were wider than the full moon. 

Without saying anything, she brought her fist down onto it. An explosion of clouds and fire burst out, covering her sight. The feeling of the Slinker under her was gone, and a bubble of satisfaction rose in her stomach. 

After the clouds dissipated, she found the Slinker's gem and tapped it with one finger. A brown bubble appeared around it. She tapped it again to send it off, her eyes staying where they were as she watched it go off. 

Then she smiled, "Guess I'm gone then. Try not to kill each other, alright?" She looked down at her hand before unfusing, leaving Pink and Amethyst standing near each other. 

The smaller gen had her arms crossed, staring to the side. Her form was normal now, with a black shirt that was properly on her shoulders now. Pink gave her a glance before awkwardly frowning. 

"Well... I guess it's over." 

Amethyst hummed before huffing, "Yeah, well... You better not lie to us again." 

"I won't, I promise." Pink gave a smile, even if it was weak. 

' _I'm sorry Amethyst, but I don't think I can keep that. I already made a promise to keep things you can't know hidden. But-"_

She stopped and turned to Amethyst, trying to spark a conversation. 

"You… reformed properly." 

Amethyst's arms slumped in their position, and she said, "Yeah… so?" 

"You look amazing! Oh, and you fixed that shoulder strap! Pearl's gonna love it!" Pink couldn't stop the giddy feeling brewing in her gem. 

A blush creeped on Amethyst's face at the enthusiasm. She rubbed the back of her neck and said, "You… you think so?" 

"I know so! Oh, we have to show the others! They'll be so happy!" 

"W-wait! Hold on!" 

The purple gem struggled, but it was too late to escape the grip the diamond had on her. She put on a frustrated glare, but it disappeared into a wide smile as soon as her face was out of view. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl, Enstatite is my favorite between the planned Pink/gem fusions. She's just fun to write. 
> 
> She's either pissed off or curious and then pissed. 
> 
> Besides that, I've...  
> I've been thinking about going into a hiatus. I know, I know! I haven't updated in nearly a month, but this time its different! I'll be honest, I haven't completed the story outline. By that I mean I haven't written every single chapter outline. I have three steps.  
> 1\. Chapter summary, says characters focused on and important story beats.  
> 2\. Write short chapter outline. Everything that happens is dumbed down and simplified besides emotions and actions for quicker upload.  
> 3\. Write chapter, and the previous outline is loose enough for me to include scenes and moments/dialogue that I want or fits
> 
> That's my process, and I haven't done every chapter yet like I said. I just need to write the chapter outlines, not the summaries. All of those are done. 
> 
> My decision is pending, but I think it would be for the best. I'll upload an update for when I find the answer, or just put it in tags.


	24. Light in the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Pink finish Crying Breakfast Friends, and Steven gets a history lesson on the infamous Rebellion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "My love for you... is like a truck."
> 
> Kudos to you if you get the reference. Anyway, if you're a oneshot kinda guy(or gal or etc. I don't discriminate) then you should check out A Brittle Diamond instead. It's short stories based in the Crystal Pink AU before The Troubling Hourglass. Featuring high Pink angst! 
> 
> Enjoy!

# Light in the Storm

“Wow… there’s so much rain!” 

Steven watched as the window was showered with fat, heavy raindrops. Past the rain, he could barely see anything besides the front porch and some lights reflecting against the ocean. The storm clouds above blocked out most of the light. 

“It’s probably due to all of the snow melting. Now it’s coming back down as rain.” Behind him, Pink was in the kitchen, taking out a bag of popcorn from the microwave. Steven stood up from the couch and walked over with a smile. He took the time to get a bowl as Pink continued, “It's so weird and wonderful how it all works. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yeah! I hope it doesn’t knock the power out or something.”

“No worries, we can just get Garnet to power the house.” Pink reassured him, and opened the bag to dump all of the golden popcorn into the bowl. After it was all gone, Pink crushed the bag into a ball and haphazardly threw it over her shoulder. She and Steven looked at each other for a few seconds, before both glared at each other. 

“Are you ready?”

“Oh… I think I am.”

“Do you really think you’re ready for-”

“ _Crying Breakfast Friends season two finale!_ ” Both of them cheered while holding up the bowl of popcorn, jumping in the air with unconstrained excitement. 

* * *

The television played the end theme of the depressed food cartoon as the two fans had tears running from their puffy eyes. Steven slowly brought a hand up to wipe away an annoying tear from his chin. 

“T-That was… the most amazing ending ever!” The pink diamond behind him suddenly wailed, bringing up her hands near her face to cover it. She sniffled and began crying, and Steven fought back the urge to join her. He had to stay strong!

It didn’t work. “Ahhuhuh! It _was_ amazing!” He cried, covering his eyes with his arm. They both sat overwhelmed by their tears, the sadness and joy too overwhelming. No words were exchanged after that until both had gotten enough out of their systems to only sob instead of cry. 

“I- _snfff -_ I loved it when all of the old characters made comebacks! Even they got to be in the ending!” He sniffled as he wiped at his cheeks, getting the wet remnants of tears off them. Then two arms tightly hugged him around the neck, and pulled him into an embrace.

“Thank you for getting me into this show-ho-ho!” Pink said, her voice lathered with a dramatic tone. A part of Steven glowed with happiness. He nearly laughed out loud from her voice if it wasn’t for the arms choking him. It was only after he began choking that Pink noticed and let go with the speed of a jet. 

“Oh my- I'm so sorry!” She said while also placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Steven nodded with a cough, “I’m fine! It’s okay!” He put a hand up subconsciously, trying to ease her worries. Pink didn’t seem to believe it, giving him a remorseful look before turning away. Steven rubbed the back of his neck and sighed blissfully. “Wow… I can’t believe it's gone. I hope they begin a new season soon.”

“Mhmm… Steven,” Pink turned her head and gave an appreciative smile. “Thank you for showing me this show. I loved it. Even if it was confusing sometimes.” 

Steven couldn’t stop the smile on his face as he said, “Aww… your welcome!”

And then both were engulfed in darkness. The TV and lights around the house died, the television giving a short _beww_ before going black. Steven and Pink’s faces fell into a deadpan before simultaneously groaning. Even still, the two found themselves smiling at the situation. 

“Well, at least it waited until after we were done.” 

“Yeah, but I can barely see anything.” 

“Oh, then I’ll help!” Pink said with an infectious enthusiasm. She stood up, careful as to not hit Steven or the empty bowl of popcorn. Her gem lit up a bright pink, then shot out like a flashlight, illuminating most of the room in front of her. 

“Flashlight mode! Awesome!” Steven said, standing up and holding his fists up. “Man, I wonder if I can do that?”

“Of course you can. You’ll learn it eventually.” She patted his head softly, making him giggle. “You’re already growing taller, and you can use Rose’s shield now. I have no doubt that you’ll be learning new gem tricks in no time!” 

“Okay! C’mon, we gotta get the light back on!” Steven ran past and stopped where he thought the first step was. Pink directed her light to shine on the stairs, letting Steven go down into the kitchen without trouble. The pink gem stood nearby as Steven opened a bottom cabinet and took out a set of candles, both in glass jars. He placed them on the counter, took two more out, then said, “These’ll help us. Pearl bought me these after the last time the power went out, so now we won’t be stuck in the dark.” 

He faltered at the regretful look Pink had on her face, her arm glued onto her side. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when that happened.” She breathed in a hiss as he shook his head with a dismissive hand shake. 

“It’s alright. Besides, most of the house was lit up by the windows.” 

“Sometimes windows aren’t enough, Steven.” Was the response he got as Pink walked into the living room and sat on the table. It creaked haphazardly under her, but it didn’t seem like she cared. Steven opened a small drawer with a worried look, and sighed before taking out a box. It was red in color, and it was soon clear that it was a box of matches. 

“Well, maybe candles will do.” He said while lighting them one by one with a small matchstick. After blowing out the matchstick, he threw it away and put the box back in the drawer. He picked up one candle and said, “Okay, these should help until the lights come back on. But we’ll have to put them out after a couple of hours. Otherwise they’ll explode.”

“That doesn’t sound very safe.” Pink said, lifted her head and watched Steven place the candle on the other side of the table. 

“That’s why Pearl told me about it. She was worried I would burn the house down.” He gave a light chuckle, trying to squeeze humor out from his words. 

“That’s… nice of her. I’m surprised at how much she looks after you.” Pink commented, turning off the light from her gem. Steven stopped as he took another candle and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, she does so much. She cleans, she helps do all these tasks around the house. She just… does so much more for you than us.” ‘ _Than me._ ’ 

“Hey, you guys do stuff for me all the time too! Y’all hang out with me and watch movies, and play games! And stuff like that doesn’t really interest Pearl, but it does you and Amethyst!” He walked over to the stairs and put the candle on the first step. “All of you guys are awesome. And I’m glad you help me learn and do stuff!”

Pink’s eyes gave a hint of optimism, her lips turning up slightly. She gave in and smiled, “Thank you… how has your training with Pearl been?” 

“Oh, it’s been great! She says I’ve been improving so much, I might be able to take my sword out on missions… if we go on any.” He gave an excited smile matched with a shrug. 

“Right… we haven’t exactly gone on any, have we?”

“Well, with all the stuff with Peridot and Jasper, I guess we got caught up.” Steven said as he put the last two candles down on opposite ends of the counter. He hummed in satisfaction before a question brewed in his head. 

“Hey, How… is Homeworld?”

His ask made Pink’s face fall with a frown, and she looked off to the side away from him. Steven continued, not paying attention to her. “I know you guys rebelled and fought a war against Homeworld gems, but I don’t really know why.”

“It’s horrible.” He turned as she spoke up, and he got a clear look at the disturbed look on her face. His legs willed him to walk over and sit on the couch, and he watched the back of her head as she said, “The rules and laws were awful and controlling. So we escaped.” 

“So… you escaped to Earth. Are all gems from Homeworld?”

Pink turned and stood up, then sat down on the couch near him. “No, not every gem. Others come from different planets but most, if not all, pledge loyalty to Homeworld and its rulers.”

Steven looked more curious. All he really knew about gems was that they were magical, strong, and from space apparently. “Did you come from Homeworld?”

Pink glanced at him as her lip curled, and after a long pause, she nodded, “Yes… but I came to Earth in search of an escape. And eventually I did find it with your mother.” She smiled softly as she looked down at him. The weight of the gem in his stomach felt heavier with her gaze. 

With a long sigh, Pink fell back and said, “I apologize for not telling you some of these things sooner. I know how hectic everything is as of late, but we didn’t… didn’t think you would want to know.”

Steven rubbed his neck before he said, “I guess now would be a good time then. I’ve sort’ve wanted to know more ever since Lapis left.” 

Pink gave an apologetic frown, but she perked up with a sigh and said, “Then let’s do it. I’ll tell you about the war, if you want.” She turned her head and gave a questioning look. Steven’s eyes lingered on her longer than they should’ve, and he realized this and shook his head.

  
“Okay. I… do want to know. I wanna know how the Crystal Gems got started.” He felt a bubble of wonder rise in his chest, and he grinned widely. Pink’s eyes lifted up from the weight holding them, and she gave a nod in return. 

“Alright… but I don’t know if I’ll be able to explain it as well as Pearl, per se. She has holograms to show everything, she could give a better perspective.”

Steven frowned before an idea ringed in his head. “Oh, wait, I know! You can draw it!” He said while he stood and threw his hands up. The diamond next to him gave him a skeptical look, which morphed into an unsure one. 

“I don’t know… my art skills aren’t really good. I can barely draw people.” She gave a mirthless chuckle at her own words. Steven came close and patted her back.  
  


“C’mon! I won’t judge! I promise! Besides, you don’t know, you could be really good!” After a few seconds of silent contemplation, Pink gave into his ask. 

“Okay, why not.” She gave a smile as Steven gave a cheer and ran upstairs. 

“Awesome! Let me go get some paper!” 

Pink was left waiting on the couch as he rummaged through something upstairs. Her eyes lingered on the dark bedroom before she leaned forward and put her hands together tightly. How was she going to do this? She had to leave _some_ things out. He couldn’t know about the true nature of the Kindergarten, or… the battles. Both were too dark for him. And… her _status_

“Alright, here's a pencil and plenty of paper!” Steven placed the yellow pencil and stack of papers in front of her on the table. She gave a confused glance before picking up the pencil, testing it in her hand. It was light, and probably fragile. So she carefully pulled up a piece of paper as Steven sat next to her, his body swinging from side to side lightly. 

“This is where we’ll start,” She drew an imperfect circle with wiggly lines running through it, clearly supposed to be Earth. “Gems came to… twist the planet for resources, hurting life without care. All of them had one goal in mind; their purpose.” 

She drew ships near Earth, and went below it to draw a silhouette of someone. “But not all gems were that way. Some began recognizing the beauty of life here, and its importance. And one of the first was-”

“Mom.” Steven finished, recognizing the curly haired drawing now. She was very simplistic, and he realized Pink’s style reminded him of his as a kid. Well, more of a kid. 

“Yes… Rose went away from her duties, exploring everything that the Earth had to give. She found beauty, elegance, and eventually love.” As Pink talked, she added small bugs, animals, and eventually a human standing next to Rose. 

“But… returning to her duties, she realized that the life that had grown, and that she grew to care for, wouldn’t survive the invasion. So she went to someone with a higher status, one who could potentially stop what was happening.” She drew a new scene, and Steven saw Rose and a new person. They were sitting in a big chair, and had hair made of five circles. “She came to… me.”

“Woah… so… wait, what was it about status? Did she not have much power?”

“No… she was a quartz, only serving as a soldier and worker for tasks deemed too ‘tedious’ for others.” Pink explained, her face shifting into a bothered one. “But I was much higher than her in terms of ‘power’, and that’s why she came to me with a message. She asked that we stop, and save the wildlife on the planet. I… didn’t really want to at first,” She paused as Steven raised an eyebrow. 

‘ _Didn’t want to?_ ’ It confused him slightly. Why wouldn’t she? Especially since she seemed to care about plants and animals now. 

“But I took it into consideration. The question ‘Why would I?’ seemed to never leave. So soon I brought her to me for questioning.” Pink drew a small box with her and Rose in it. “I asked her about why she would want to stop. The Earth had given life to so many new gems, how was that destroying it?

“But she opened my eyes when she asked me to take a trip with her, under the claim that if she didn’t convince me, then I had every right to… the trip was amazing.” Pink cut herself off as she drew her and Rose next to each other, both smiling in the shape of a ‘V’ with trees around them. “I saw what she had meant. The life, the wonder, and curiosity all gave me the conclusion I needed. From then on I would protect this planet, and not allow Homeworld to hurt it ever again.” 

She grew more passionate in her words, and Steven couldn’t help but smile. “The more gems we recruited in our efforts, the more of an impact we made against Homeworld. Our message was spreading fast through courts and hidden messages. And soon we had an army of gems waiting to defend our new home and our cause.” She began drawing more and more gems near them, and she smiled brightly. 

“Gems began discovering new ways of living, some fused for love,” She drew the clear image of Garnet, “And some used their skills for new purposes.” She drew a bulkier gem with braids on their head, holding a sword. “All were equal under the name of the Crystal Gems! No matter what Homeworld said, we were free to live as we chose!” She drew a flag above all of the gems, one Steven recognized well. A star symbol sat in the middle, and then another flag with a rose joined it. Then she drew a final flag on the right of that, a star with a small diamond in it. 

She stopped drawing and let out a sigh mixed with a chuckle. “Ahh… those were the glory days.” 

“Wow! So there were hundreds of Crystal Gems! That’s awesome!” Steven leaned closer, examining the drawings with an awestruck face. He could see that each gem she had drawn had their own little detail added to them. Some stuck out more than others, and his smile grew at the main four he had grown up with all standing next to each other. 

“So… what happened after?” 

No response. 

He saw how Pink’s face was scrunched up, shadows forming from the candles covering her face. It made a stinging worry burst through his gut, and he contemplated putting a hand on her shoulder. 

But she sucked in air and said “Sorry… I… the w-war ended a little after that.” She held the pencil loosely as she began to draw. “Some gems lost interest, or even turned against us.” 

He watched as she drew a stocky gem with a gem on their face and some more. “They held onto their Homeworld views, and some even grew to hate the rebellion.” She drew more gems, a ruby, a short gem with rounded long hair, and one with messy pigtails and large fists. 

“I… I guess you know the rest.” She dropped the pencil and crumbled the paper up, much to Steven’s dismay. Without much care, she stood up and slowly walked away to the temple area. “I’m going to get Garnet to turn the power on.” 

Steven only stared at her in response, flooded with confusion. She soon disappeared out of view, leaving him alone.

‘ _That… how did it end? She just… maybe... I shouldn’t have asked._ ’

He gave a frown at the pencil on the table, which had a visible crack running along it now. 

* * *

The mission for Peridot didn’t end well. In that it didn't lead them any closer to finding the green menace. All it did was disappoint. 

Steven had slowly made his way into the house and swung his scabbard over his shoulder, then placed it against the wall. His hand lingered on it as he stared wordlessly at nothing. A hand suddenly landed on his head, throwing him out of his thoughts. He turned his head and saw it was Garnet, who was looking down with a straight face, as always. 

“Something’s bothering you.” She stated like a fact. He gave a raised eyebrow, which fell like his lips when he frowned. A nod willed itself to start, and Garnet walked over to the couch. She sat down and patted the cushion next to her. 

He glanced at her before walking over and sitting down unceremoniously.

“Do you want to tell me what it is?” 

“Yeah. It’s… about the rebellion.” Garnet’s mouth fell into a ‘o’ before she frowned and listened. “I wanted to know more, so I asked Pink about it and… she seemed really bothered. I feel really bad about it, but…” He didn’t finish, thinking that finishing it in his head was a better option. Or maybe Garnet could already know what he was talking about. 

“I don’t blame her. The rebellion is a difficult topic for us to discuss, Steven. I don’t blame her, she took it harder than us.” She put a hand on his back, “But I understand why you want to know more. But for now, you should focus on the present.” She gave a smile as she patted him, but his expression never changed from the troubled stare he held on the ground. 

“I’m… gonna go. I’ll see you later.” He stood up and walked across the room, before he left the house. Garnet stared at the entrance before giving a sigh. 

“I will.” 

* * *

The ocean crashed on the beach as he sat on the edge of the giant statue’s hand. 

‘ _They’re keeping more things from me._ ’ 

A part of him wanted to be angry. Another was confused. And then the last wanted to pretend to understand. He knows what happened wasn’t good. Like his dad said, there isn’t ever a good war. 

But… was he heading that way? 

He wan-no, he _is_ a Crystal Gem, and knowing that there was an entire generation before that… just disappeared in just one war. What if that happened to _them_? Was he a remnant of the remaining survivors of… something? 

It was scary. 

_Your days are numbered_

He wouldn’t let it happen. Not after everything. His family isn’t going out like that. They _aren’t_ having that happen to them again. 

As long as he has his mother’s sword and shield, he can stop it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the exposition dump, but I needed to explain some backstory AND have Pink and Steven be together. How is this story gonna be based around Pink and Steven and not have them around each other? 
> 
> I wonder who the gem with pigtails Pink drew was? I don't know!  
> fun fact: My step-sister's aunt's house burnt down by an exploding candle. Please be careful when using candles contained in glass jars. Never let one burn for longer than four hours, thank you.
> 
> Till next time!


	25. Cry for Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A distress signal begins going out across Earth, and a gem uses this to their advantage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, pretty fast me. 
> 
> Enjoy!

#  Cry for Help

His bored eyes glanced up at the TV before dropping. A hand rested on his knee as a random weather man talked about things he didn’t really care about. 

He gave a sigh. He had to admit, ever since his little ‘history lesson’ with Pink, he’d been… down. That was all he could describe it as. Most of the time, he didn’t even hear someone talking to him, like when with Connie, in town, or…

“Yo’! Are you ignoring me or somethin’?!”

Right now. 

He turned his head and straightened his back. Amethyst was glaring up at him, holding a black spoon in her hand. Next to her was Pink, putting a cherry on top of a… 

Steven’s eyes crinkled at the sight of mashed potatoes, dough, something metallic, and motor oil stacked on top of one another. Yikes, he did not need to see  _ that. _ “S-Sorry Amethyst! I’m not hungry.” He said while waving a hand, looking away from the amalgamation. 

Amethyst frowned and stuck the spoon in the Motor-mash-dough-tallic, “Bro, you’ve responded with that for nearly three days. Are you even eating anything?”

“I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Just as Amethyst was about to retort, the TV suddenly screamed static. Steven nearly jumped out of his skin, his head shooting to the black box in fear. Amethyst and Pink joined him upstairs as they stared at the TV in wonder. An image slowly began making its way on screen, whizzing out before showing a grainy and broken image of Peridot.

"This is Peridot  Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG, transmitting on all frequencies from abandoned crystal system colony planet Earth, to  _ Yellow  _ Diamond. My mission has been compromised! I have lost my escort and am stranded with my escort. Please… send help!” 

All three watched the message in silence, trying to figure out what was even happening still. After the message looped itself again, all three shouted, “What!!??”

* * *

The desert sat in silence, the wind blowing dust up across the red and pale sand. A bright pink portal then ripped the air, and shot out Lion carrying the gems. 

Lion’s paws skidded against the loose ground before falling on his stomach with a tired growl. Steven petted him softly, “Thanks buddy.” 

The others climbed off the feline and stared up at something, which turned out to be a makeshift Communication hub. It was shoddily put together, looking as if it would fall over if touched.  “She… got it working. How? It doesn’t even look stable!” Pearl said and gestured her open palm to it. She was completely baffled at how the thing was even standing. 

“Well, it won’t be stable after we punch it back down!” Amethyst said as she punched her hand, joined by Steven, who said, “We won’t let it hurt television again.”

“We’ll need to fuse again if we want to take it down.” Garnet stated as she walked up next to Pearl, putting her hands on her hips. 

“Then… why don’t you guys form Sugilite again?” Steven said, putting his hands out in a shrug. Everyone, including Lion, looked at him with a deadpan. He shrunk down and muttered, “Y-Yeah… that might not be for the best.” 

“I agree. We’ll need less... chaotic fusions if we’re going to disable the hub again.” Pearl said as she placed a hand under her chin, sending Amethyst, Garnet, and Pink a grimace. The two took notice and angrily looked back with offended frowns. 

“Hey! There’s a difference between chaotic, and  _ controlled _ chaotic.” Amethyst said while sending a wink and a fist bump to Pink, who returned it. Albeit, a little confused, but she had the spirit.

“Then there’s only one fusion I can think of now,” Garnet said as she turned and extended a hand to Pearl. The pale gem’s eyes widened in shock. “Let’s fuse, Pearl.” 

The fusion paused before frowning, “Don’t cry, Pearl.”

The skinny gem sniffled and held back tears, mumbling, “O-Okay! I’ll do it!” She wiped her tears and calmed her shaking, then smiled giddily. Both of them walked away from the others and kept a fair distance from themselves. 

“New Fusion!” Steven cheered excitedly, his arms in the air as he laid on top of Lion. Amethyst crossed her arms and looked away while Pink grinned and watched. Pearl and Garnet began their dance, with Pearl’s being much more articulate and elegant, while Garnet’s had more flow and groove in her moves. Eventually Garnet threw Pearl up into the air and caught her in her arms. 

The two glowed together, fusing into one form. A large white curtain covered them, and two hands shoved the curtain out of the way, creating dragonflies. 

“ _Gooooood evening everybody!”_

In all her glory stood the brand new fusion, with two sets of arms and four eyes. Her form resembled a tuxedo, and all she was missing was a top hat to complete the look of a performer. “This is the lovely  _ Sardonyx,  _ coming to you live from the soon to be former communication hub! How are y’all doin’ tonight?” 

“Great.”

“Giant woman!” Steven cheered, stars in his eyes. 

“Oh my stars, if it isn’t Steven Universe! We finally meet! Soo, what do ya’ think, was I worth the wait? Oh what am I saying, of course I was!” She began laughing while putting a hand on her cheek. 

“Wow! You’re so articulated!”

“Well, aren’t you the sweetest little charmer! I could literally squish you right now, it would not be hard!” She began rubbing two hands against him, and he gave a “Nooo!” While laughing. 

“Sorry, I’m just… so excited to be here. You see, I haven’t exactly been myself lately!” The two began laughing at the joke, and Sardonyx looked past the boy to the two gems standing nearby. 

“And look over there! Pink Diamond and Amethyst, looking as well as they can be!” 

Amethyst groaned as Pink gave a small wave. “Hi Sardonyx.”

“My, you’ve grown a lot shorter than last time we met. And Amethyst, I love what you did with your form!” She complimented the two, putting Steven back down on the ground. Amethyst looked away as Pink chuckled, “I may have lost a  _ few  _ feet.”

“Oh, enough of the sideshow! It’s time for the main event!” She turned her head to the side and winked, “Don’t want to keep the audience waiting.”

Pearl’s spear appeared on one of her fingers, and her bottom right hand tapped her on the shoulder. She turned her head and threw the spear up, then gave a confused look before summoning Garnet’s gauntlets. When the spear came down, she hit it with the gauntlets, causing the weapons to glow and transform into a massive warhammer, which was just as big as herself. 

Steven lost all the air in his body before asking, “Are you going to smash stuff with your giant hammer?!”

Sardonyx hummed and placed a finger on her chin, “The term ‘smash’ would be used to describe what… someone else might do.” She leapt into the air, reading her hammer. “The proper terms to describe yours truly are…

“ _Specific!_ ” She hit off one pillar, sending it flying in the air. Then another. “Intelligent! Accurate! Flawless! _Elegant_.” More and more began getting “Annnd… POWERFUUL!”

She began spinning in the air, heading down to the last pillar on top of the tower. Just as the warhammer was an inch away, she stopped middair and said, “But yes, occasionally, I am known… to smash.” The hammer gently touched the pillar, sending it flying down to the ground. Dust kicked up and blinded the trio as Sardonyx landed nearby and spun her warhammer, causing it to disappear in dragonflies. 

“Now, just remember everybody. If you ever have need of the lovely Sardonyx, let Pearl and Garnet know, I'll be there in a flash,” She squatted down. “ _ Literally _ .”

In a flash, Pearl and Garnet were left in her place. Pearl slowly looked up at Garnet before smiling and hugging the fusion around her neck. Garnet spun her around and held her up, laughing. 

“You guys were amazing!” Steven said between laughs, running over to them. Pink clapped and began walking over, but stopped when she caught sight of Amethyst holding her arm with a sullen frown. 

“Hey, when we get back to the temple, want to make an Everything Burrito… or something else?”

Amethyst turned and walked over to Lion, mumbling, “I’m good.”

Pink’s eyes stayed on the back of her head, before the pink gem gave a sigh and nodded once wordlessly. 

* * *

“It’s almost… there.” Steven muttered, staring anxiously at the timer in Pink’s hand. A bag of donuts sat in between them, and Pink ate one as the TV began playing static again. 

“ _ Now _ !” Both of them shouted at once, stopping the timer instantly. Steven took it and held it up with a happy smile. “Yeah, look! It’s the same time as yesterday.” 

“So now we know when the signal will go out. Good job, Steven!” Pink said as she ruffled his hair. The praise fell short as Steven shrugged. 

“Well, I mean… it didn’t really solve anything. Peridot is still putting the hub back together. It’s been three days!” He gave an exasperated sigh and leaned his head against his bed. Hearing the temple door open, they looked down and saw Garnet walk into the house with a sneer on her face.

“Garnet, the signals back.” Pink said with a frown, getting a frustrated “I know” from the fusion. Slightly taken back by the afro haired gem, Pink looked at Steven and said, “Come on, we need to go to the hub…  _ again. _ ”

* * *

Sardonyx’s ‘show’ was less of a spectacle now. 

She was more focused, not really talking at all until the end, where she made a joke and chuckled before poofing. As soon as she and Pearl were left standing where Sardonyx was, she began heading to Lion. 

“That better be the last time she does this.” Garnet said, her form loosening from being able to at least hit some things as Sardonyx. 

“Agreed. This is getting silly.” Pearl commented, crossing her arms and giving an annoyed frown. She turned to the hub as Garnet and the others began talking, obviously frustrated with the whole situation. I mean, who wouldn’t after three days of knocking down a bunch of pillars?

None of them saw the growing smile that tugged at Pearl’s lips. 

* * *

Pink was getting as tired as a gem could. 

Peridot was persistent in getting this message out to…  _ Yellow.  _ It made her want to scream at times, when she was alone in her room. But she kept it down, not wanting to scare or hurt the Pebbles. But it featured in her mind, like a taunt. 

The warp ended quickly, even leaving her a bit surprised at how fast she made it to the temple. After stepping off and walking into the house, the quiet air made her drown. Sitting on the couch was Amethyst and Steven, both had contemplative and genuinely confused looks. 

“Hi, are you two waiting for the signal?” Pink asked, walking over while glancing between the two. They looked at each other, speaking without having to at all, before Steven sighed. “We… have something we have to tell you.”

“And what is that?” She asked curiously, sitting cross legged on the ground in front of the table. If they were sitting, she might as well join them. 

“It’s… about the hub.”

And Pink felt like she had been shattered when they finished.

“I… w-why would she… do  _ that _ ?” She muttered, her eyes staring at the table in… something between horrified and disturbed. Her hand reached up and pushed back against her bangs, grabbing on tightly as she looked up the two. 

“We… don’t know. I guess she’s… trying to study how it works.” Steven shrugged, looking over at Amethyst. The purple gem shook her head and said, “I don’t think that’s it.” 

“We can’t let this continue.” Pink said as she looked to the right at the temple, her eyes narrowed and her teeth clamped together. The TV began shouting its usual static, and the three knew it was time. 

The temple door opened soon after, and they watched Garnet practically stomp in with Pearl in tow. She didn’t speak a word, glancing at them worriedly. Even she was noticing how angry the fusion was getting. 

And the flaming glare that got sent her way by Pink wasn’t helping. Steven and Amethyst stood up and the boy sighed, “I’ll go get Lion.”

* * *

The void that appeared in her gut was growing. She was beginning to sweat a little. The first time they fused was  _ amazing _ . She felt… whole. 

But now? Now it was fading. Garnet was furious. She wasn’t able to see Peridot with her future vision, causing almost no progress to be made in the hunt for the green gem. And that fury carried on into Sardonyx. 

Pearl could feel how angry she was. Sardonyx had done her best to keep some humor in the situation, something Pearl was glad for. But the fusion’s attempts didn’t help once she was gone, and Garnet was just as, if not more, frustrated then when they fused. 

So Pearl tried to keep her nerves at bay, and complete the synchronization without any mistakes. 

“Why?”

She stopped mid dance, right as she and Garnet were moving in to fuse. A turn of the head to the right made her meet eyes with black, pinpoint pupils. “Why would you… why?”

“What do you mean?”

“Pearl, we saw you.” Steven said, making Pearl’s throat clench up. ‘ _ No… they- _ ’

“You have to tell Garnet it was you. You fixed the hub.” Amethyst said, turning her head so she didn’t see the look on Pearl’s face. Garnet looked between all of them, her frustration overflowing with confusion. 

“I don’t understand.” Garnet spoke up, her back straightening as she stared at Amethyst. 

“I’m sorry,” Then her head whipped to Pearl as the pale gem crossed her arms over her stomach. “It was just… so much fun being Sardonyx with you.” 

Everything hit her. 

“You… that’s why I couldn’t see us finding Peridot.” Garnet said, bringing her hands up slowly. 

Pearl backed away and said, “Wait, let me exp-”

“You’ve been fixing the hub!” Her hands clenched as she glared at Pearl through her visor. 

“Wait, it really was Peridot! The… first time.” The pale gem then bit her lip as Garnet began slowly walking towards her, fists clenched at her sides. “You  _ used  _ me!” 

‘No, n-n-no, no… we just needed a reason to fuse. I just wanted to share a few more victories with you!”

“Those weren’t victories!”

“Bu-”

“ _ That’s enough! _ ” Garnet shouted, her face mere inches away from Pearl’s. The taller gem turned in a single moment, stomping over towards Steven and the others. She slowed down and said, “Destroy it.  _ All  _ of it.” Then passed them in silence. 

Steven watched her before trying to go after her, but a purple hand landed on his shoulder. He turned his head as Amethyst shook her head. “Don’t man.” 

Amethyst let go after Steven slowly nodded. She looked up at the only other gem nearby, and noted grimly that she couldn’t see Pink’s face beneath her bangs. 

“Let’s get this over with, Amethyst.” The diamond muttered, walking away before raising a hand towards her. Giving a slow nod, Amethyst accepted and walked over to start the dance. 

Pearl hadn’t looked at any of them. Her arms were coiled around her stomach, and her blue eyes were locked onto the hub. 

She didn’t move at all. Even when the hub began falling down into dust and rubble at her feet. 

She didn’t move _ at all _ . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pearl is in deep waters now, lol. So I've locked onto a schedule... not really, but I want to upload three chapters a month, which will pretty much get me exactly to my New Years Resolution. I've actually been doing that subconsciously, but now I'm actually noticing it. Also, on FFN I've noticed that Rocky Feelings, and Cracks in the Gem have over a hundred views one each, which isn't new but substantially higher than the other chapters around it. Were those two really that good for people to keep coming back to them? 
> 
> Anyway, tell me how you feel about the fic right now, since we're going into the whole 'Cry for Help' arc in SU. I mean, it's your choice, don't mind me.


End file.
